ECI rolls out 28 reforms in six months to strengthen electoral process

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced that it has undertaken 28 key initiatives over the past six months to streamline, modernise and strengthen the country’s electoral system.

The reforms, spread across six pillars – stakeholder engagement, electoral system cleanup, technology adoption, electoral roll purity, ease of voting and capacity building – aim to ensure transparency, inclusivity and efficiency in upcoming polls.

As part of its outreach, EROs, DEOs, and CEOs held 4,719 all-party meetings nationwide, engaging 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.

Standard photo ID cards were issued to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to enhance transparency, while a new SOP mandates verification of microcontrollers in 5% of EVMs post-results. On the technology front, the Commission launched ECINET, a one-stop digital platform integrating 40-plus apps for voters, officials and parties.

Other measures include 100 per cent webcasting at polling stations, real-time voter turnout updates every two hours, and mandatory VVPAT slip counts in case of mismatches. To improve electoral roll integrity, Bihar underwent a special intensive revision, while rolls were updated ahead of recent by-elections across four states for the first time in nearly two decades.

EPIC delivery has been fast-tracked to 15 days with SMS notifications to electors, and duplicate EPIC numbers have been eliminated.

For voter convenience, the ECI capped polling station limits at 1,200 voters, introduced mobile deposit facilities outside booths, and mandated clearer voter slips.

Candidate-set booths are now permitted just beyond 100 metres of polling stations. Capacity-building efforts included doubling BLO remuneration, training over 7,000 officials at IIIDEM, and conducting special sessions for police and political party agents.

Others included Training Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties, training for media and communication officers, training Police officers, amongst others.

--IANS

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