September 14, 2026 8:36 PM

CEC Gyanesh Kumar to meet Bhutan King, PM during three-day visit

Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar has begun a three-day visit to the Kingdom of Bhutan from September 14 to 16, with electoral cooperation and institutional engagement between the two countries high on the agenda. During the visit, Gyanesh Kumar will meet His Majesty the King of Bhutan in Thimphu on Monday. A key engagement will be Bhutan’s National Voters’ Day celebration at the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law in Paro on September 15, where the CEC will be the Chief ...

September 3, 2026 10:25 AM

BLOs are first point of contact between ECI and citizens: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday described Booth Level Officers (BLOs) as the first point of contact between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and citizens, and called them a foundational pillar of the world’s largest democracy. Kumar was interacting with more than 1,000 BLOs from different parts of Goa during a programme held in the state. In his address, the CEC said the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections in India are carried out strictly...

August 25, 2026 5:39 PM

BLOs are foundational pillars of India’s democracy: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday described Booth Level Officers (BLOs) as the foundational pillars of the world’s largest democracy, while interacting with BLOs from Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow. Over 500 BLOs and 30 BLO Supervisors from different parts of Uttar Pradesh participated in the interaction. The CEC said the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections in India are carried out strictly in accordance with the Constitution, the law and the instruc...

August 17, 2026 11:03 PM

CEC Gyanesh Kumar calls on academia to promote electoral literacy and informed democratic participation

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday called upon educational institutions to play a greater role in strengthening trust in the electoral process, promoting electoral literacy and encouraging informed democratic participation among young citizens. Addressing a conference on “Electoral Literacy Clubs and ECINet” at Gyan Bhawan in Patna, Kumar launched Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC 2.0), an initiative aimed at creating structured and digitally enabled platforms for electoral edu...

July 18, 2026 9:32 AM

ECI holds first All India Media Conference to enhance understanding of electoral process

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday organised its first All India Media Conference 2026', bringing together more than 380 media professionals from across states and Union Territories to promote greater understanding of the country's electoral process. Held under the theme 'Connecting stakeholders, strengthening democracy: Role of media in elections', the conference focused on transparency, legal safeguards and the role of stakeholders in ensuring free and fair elections. Addressin...

February 25, 2026 10:50 AM

ECI, state poll commissioners adopt National Declaration 2026 to strengthen electoral roll coordination

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday concluded the National Round Table Conference with State Election Commissioners (SECs) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, with participants adopting the National Declaration 2026 and resolving to deepen institutional cooperation in electoral management. The conference, held after a gap of 27 years, was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the presence of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. In his inaugu...

December 3, 2025 10:15 PM

CEC Gyanesh Kumar assumes chairship of International IDEA

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has assumed the chairship of the council of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for 2026. India has been elected as the new chair of the council of member states of International IDEA for 2026. The chairship is rotational among council members and will remain with India until 2033. India is one of the 14 founding member states of the organisation. According to an official statement from the Elec...

November 27, 2025 10:52 AM

CEC Gyanesh Kumar to assume chairship of International IDEA on December 3

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar will assume the Chairship of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for the year 2026. He will take over the post on December 3, 2025, during the meeting of the Council of Member States in Stockholm, Sweden, and will preside over all Council meetings throughout 2026. International IDEA, founded in 1995, is an inter-governmental organisation that works to strengthen democratic institutions and electo...

October 27, 2025 10:55 PM

ECI to conduct second phase of special intensive revision in 12 states, UTs; final voter list on Feb 7, 2026

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 States and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Monday. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CEC Kumar said the exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Na...

October 5, 2025 5:11 PM

Bihar assembly polls to be held before November 22: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the Bihar Assembly elections will be held before November 22, when the term of the current Legislative Assembly ends. Bihar has 243 assembly constituencies, including two reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 38 for Scheduled Castes (SCs). Addressing a press conference in Patna after a two-day review of poll preparedness, the CEC said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar was completed within t...