NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced that it has introduced 28 key initiatives over the past six months, aimed at modernising and strengthening the country’s electoral system.
In an official statement, the poll panel said the reforms, spread across six pillars – stakeholder engagement, electoral system cleanup, technology adoption, electoral roll purity, ease of voting and capacity building – are intended to ensure transparency, inclusivity and efficiency in upcoming polls.
As part of its outreach, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), District Election Officers (DEOs) and Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) held 4,719 all-party meetings nationwide, engaging with over 28,000 political representatives.
“The Commission also interacted directly with party presidents and senior leaders through 20 high-level meetings. In efforts to strengthen electoral systems, the ECI delisted 334 inactive registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs) in the first round and identified another 476 for removal,” it said.
Standard photo ID cards have been issued to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to enhance transparency, while a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) mandates verification of microcontrollers in 5 per cent of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) after results are declared.
On the technology front, the ECI has launched ECINET, a one-stop digital platform integrating more than 40 apps for voters, officials and political parties. Other measures include 100 per cent webcasting at polling stations, real-time voter turnout updates every two hours, and mandatory Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slip counts in case of mismatches.
To improve electoral roll integrity, Bihar underwent a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), while rolls were updated ahead of recent by-elections across four states – the first such exercise in nearly two decades.
The delivery of Elector Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) has been fast-tracked to 15 days with SMS notifications sent to electors, while duplicate EPIC numbers have been eliminated.
For voter convenience, the ECI has capped polling station limits to 1,200 voters, introduced mobile deposit facilities outside booths, and mandated clearer voter slips. Candidates’ booths are now permitted just beyond 100 metres of polling stations.
Capacity-building efforts included doubling the remuneration of BLOs, training more than 7,000 officials at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), and conducting special sessions for police and political party agents.