Media personnel representing media organizations from Nagaland along with CEO Nagaland officials at IIIDEM, New Delhi on July 17.
New Delhi, July 17 (MExN): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday held its first All India Media Conference 2026 in New Delhi, bringing together over 380 media professionals from States and Union Territories under the theme “Connecting stakeholders, strengthening democracy: Role of media in elections”
A team from Nagaland, comprising journalists from print and digital media organisations along with officials of the state Chief Electoral Officer's office, participated in the conference.
Addressing the participants, CEC Gyanesh Kumar emphasised that elections in India are held according to the Constitution, electoral laws and instructions of the ECI issued from time to time. He added that the entire electoral process is concurrently audited by the stakeholders involved in the electoral processes in the country.
Referring to the statutory safeguards underlying the preparation of electoral rolls, Kumar said over 12 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and over 15 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) are actively involved in the process as “concurrent auditors”.
The CEC noted that the highest-ever poll participation in recent Assembly Elections was proof of the trust Indian electors have in the country's electoral system and the vibrancy of Indian democracy. He also expressed gratitude to all electors for their participation in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The conference aimed at promoting an informed understanding of various aspects of electoral processes and how elections in India are conducted with utmost transparency involving key stakeholders, including political parties and candidates.
The day-long programme began with a wide overview of transparency measures provided for in the Constitution, the Representation of the People Acts 1950 and 1951, instructions issued by the ECI, the ECINET platform, the role of technology in elections, and important constitutional provisions and laws relating to media matters during elections.
Participants were briefed on the roles and responsibilities of Booth Level Agents, Polling Agents and Counting Agents, highlighting their role in ensuring transparency, facilitating political party participation and strengthening the electoral process at various stages as concurrent auditors.
As part of the programme, participants were taken through a demonstration of the electoral roll preparation, polling process and counting process in groups, providing an opportunity for media professionals to get hands-on experience of various statutory forms that form the basis for concurrent audit by stakeholders.
The sessions were followed by a question-and-answer session with CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
