Election Commission Holds One-On-One Talks With Political Parties In Trust-Building Exercise

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Last Updated:May 23, 2025, 21:07 IST

Major parties, including the Congress, AAP, and TMC, proceed to allege bias and assertion that elections are not conducted fairly

Of the six nationalist parties, 5 person met with the commission. File pic/PTI

In the heavy of mounting allegations of canvass mismanagement from large absorption parties, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated a caller effort to rebuild spot among them. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who took bureau successful February, is starring this run to reconstruct assurance successful the commission. Kumar has decided to conscionable with governmental parties individually to straight code their concerns.

The extremity of this attack is to facilitate unfastened and productive conversations, allowing enactment leaders to stock their suggestions and grievances. “All governmental parties are cardinal stakeholders successful the electoral process. Their spot successful the committee is important for ensuring escaped and just elections," an ECI authoritative stated.

The inaugural began this month, kicking disconnected done a gathering with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) connected May 6, led by its president, Mayawati. Although the BSP fielded the astir candidates among nationalist parties successful the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it did not unafraid immoderate seats.

Subsequently, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met with the committee connected May 8, represented by its nationalist president, Jagat Prakash Nadda. Meetings followed with CPI(M) wide caput MA Baby connected May 10, National People’s Party president Conrad Sangma connected May 13, and Aam Aadmi Party nationalist convener Arvind Kejriwal connected May 15.

Of the six nationalist parties, 5 person met with the commission. The Congress is the lone enactment yet to docket a meeting. These meetings volition proceed based connected necessity and availability, said sources.

“This is the archetypal clip the ECI has adopted specified a tradition. Previously, meetings occurred lone erstwhile indispensable oregon upon petition and were not aimed astatine fostering communal understanding," an ECI authoritative told News18.

Despite these efforts, large parties, including the Congress, AAP, and Trinamool Congress, proceed to allege bias and assertion that elections are not conducted fairly. In March, the TMC accused the ECI of enabling elector fraud successful West Bengal, stating that non-residents were brought successful to ballot with identical Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers. AAP besides raised concerns astir elector database manipulation successful this year’s Delhi assembly polls. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed that 70 lakh voters were added to the electoral rolls successful Maharashtra successful nether six months. The ECI clarified that lone 22 lakh caller entries were made.

Opposition parties person consistently raised issues astir voting, ballot counting, and updating and deleting successful elector lists. The committee has responded by asserting that the rules are the aforesaid for each parties. “Outcomes whitethorn not align with a party’s expectations, but that doesn’t mean the committee is favouring anyone. Only 1 campaigner tin triumph per seat, and this is determined by the people’s choice," the authoritative explained.

To physique trust, the committee is besides engaging with governmental parties astatine assorted administrative levels. Nationwide, implicit 4,700 all-party meetings person been conducted—40 by Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), 800 by District Election Officers (DEOs), and 3,879 by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), involving much than 28,000 enactment representatives.

“This decentralised attack helps code section issues efficiently. For example, a elector database interest successful a circumstantial constituency is champion handled archetypal by the ERO, past by the DEO, and yet by the CEO if needed," the authoritative added.

The committee aims to found a strategy of regular meetings betwixt ECI officials and enactment representatives, ensuring elections are escaped and just and maintaining nationalist trust.

Additionally, the committee has made changes based connected enactment feedback. One large contented was EPIC duplication, which the ECI resolved by issuing caller individuality cards to affected voters. The occupation stemmed from changes pursuing the 2008 delimitation, arsenic immoderate areas continued utilizing outdated bid oregon made typographical errors.

This trust-building inaugural comes astatine a captious time, with the adjacent large predetermination successful Bihar scheduled for November. Whether this effort volition importantly alteration perceptions remains to beryllium seen, but it marks a cardinal measurement towards greater transparency and accountability by the canvass body.

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