EC reviews preparations for LS elections; CEC asks officials to ensure 'spotless polls'

New Delhi: With only a few weeks remaining before it has to announce the schedule of the parliamentary polls, the Election Commission on Thursday gathered the Chief Electoral Officers of all the states and Union Territories in New Delhi to assess the preparations for the "grand festival of democracy."

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar asked the CEOs to ensure ‘spotless’ parliamentary polls, providing the “best possible experience” for the voters. He said that “a solid set of preparations” were in place for the parliamentary elections.

Kumar and the two other Election Commissioners, Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, addressed the CEOs as they assembled at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management in New Delhi for a two-day conference.

The EC is gearing up to announce the schedule for polling to elect the 543 members of the Lok Sabha within the next few weeks. In 2014, the poll panel had announced the schedule of the Lok Sabha elections on March 5, and in 2019, it was announced on March 10.

The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will come into effect immediately after the schedule of the parliamentary polls is declared by the EC.

The state assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim will also be held along with the parliamentary polls.

Kumar told the CEOs that the road to the elections was “a journey of duty and resolve”. He expressed confidence in the readiness with all necessary interventions to provide the best possible "electoral experience" to all stakeholders, befitting the largest democracy in the world.

The commission is convening the conference to discuss election planning, expenditure monitoring, electoral roll preparation, Information Technology applications, data management, use of Electronic Voting Machines, and the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail systems. Additionally, discussions will cover the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation programme, strategy, as well as media and communication aspects.

The CEOs of the states where the polling was held last year shared their experiences on the first day of the conference. Kumar complimented them for successfully conducting "free, fair, participative, peaceful and inducement-free elections" in their respective states.

The EC initiated preparations for the Lok Sabha elections with a brainstorming session involving its officials and the Chief Electoral Officers of the states at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie. Additionally, the commission conducted five regional conferences in Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Chennai, and Lucknow over the past few weeks. Moreover, over 800 District Election Officers and Returning Officers nationwide underwent training in poll management at the IIIDEM in New Delhi. An online training session was also organized for 3100 Electoral Registration Officers from all states and union territories, along with an orientation program for newly appointed CEOs and other officials in the offices of the CEOs at the IIIDEM.

The CEC and the two other ECs along with other officials of the commission recently visited Hyderabad and reviewed preparation for the assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh. They will also visit Gangtok, Itanagar and Bhuvneshwar to review poll preparations in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha.