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Within less than a month of assuming office, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has initiated a series of proactive and definitive measures to address long-pending electoral challenges, some of which have remained unresolved for decades. According to sources in the Election Commission of India (ECI), these steps aim to enhance transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency in the electoral process ahead of the upcoming elections.
The Election Commission is set to conduct All Party Meetings at the level of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), District Election Officers (DEOs), and Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) before March 31, 2025. This initiative seeks to foster direct engagement with political parties at every level of election management, ensuring that their concerns and suggestions are heard at the grassroots level. For the first time in decades, ECI has officially invited suggestions from all National and State-recognized political parties within the legal framework by April 30, 2025. According to sources, this unprecedented step reflects the Commission's commitment to making the electoral process more inclusive, transparent, and responsive to stakeholders' inputs. One of the most significant reforms undertaken under CEC Gyanesh Kumar's leadership is the resolution of the duplicate Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issue, which has been pending for nearly 25 years. After taking charge as CEC, Kumar set an ambitious timeline of three months to resolve this problem, ensuring that each voter had a unique and verifiable voter ID. In another first, ECI has initiated training programs for field-level political agents, including booth-level agents, polling agents, counting agents, and election agents. This training will focus on their crucial roles and responsibilities within the legal framework, thereby strengthening the electoral process by ensuring well-informed participation from all stakeholders. Reiterating ECI's firm commitment to voter rights, the Commission is taking decisive steps to ensure that every genuine Indian citizen above 18 years of age can exercise their right to vote. As part of this effort, the linking of EPIC with Aadhaar has been prioritised to eliminate bogus and duplicate voters while maintaining the integrity of the electoral rolls. Addressing a long-standing concern of excessive wait times at polling stations, CEC Gyanesh Kumar, during the CEOs' conference on March 4, 2025, announced that no polling booth in future elections will have more than 1,200 electors. This long-overdue reform aims to facilitate smoother polling, reduce long queues, and ensure that voting is completed efficiently. Sources reaffirm that under the leadership of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commission is committed to ensuring free, fair, and accessible elections for all. As one source put it:"ECI was, is, and will always be with the voters." (ANI)
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