New Delhi (India), February 24: The Election Commission of India (ECI) will organize its first conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of States and Union Territories on March 4-5 at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management in New Delhi. This will be the first conference since Gyanesh Kumar assumed the position of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
For the first time, the CEOs have been instructed to nominate a District Election Officer (DEO) and an Election Registration Officer (ERO) to attend the conference. As statutory authorities, CEOs, DEOs, and EROs play key roles at the State, District, and Assembly Constituency levels, making this conference a significant event.
Over two days, election officials from States and Union Territories will have the opportunity to share insights and discuss best practices in modern election management. On Day 1, the conference will focus on various aspects of election management, including IT architecture, effective communication strategies, enhancing social media outreach, and understanding the statutory roles of different functionaries in the electoral process. On Day 2, CEOs will present their action plans based on the previous day’s discussions.
Gyanesh Kumar, who assumed office as CEC on February 19, has emphasized the importance of voting for nation-building. In his address to voters, he encouraged all eligible citizens to participate in the electoral process, stating, “The first step for nation-building is voting.” He further assured that the Election Commission would continue to support the voters, aligning its actions with the Constitution and electoral laws.
Kumar is a senior officer from the 1988 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of the Kerala cadre. He is part of the three-member Election Commission panel, which includes Rajiv Kumar as the CEC, along with Sukhbir Singh Sandhu from the Uttarakhand cadre and Vivek Joshi, a 1989 batch IAS officer from Haryana. Joshi assumed his role as Election Commissioner on February 17, 2025, following a notification from the Ministry of Law & Justice.