New Delhi, Aug 25 (UNI) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has from May 6 to August 21, held several rounds of meetings with representatives of all recognised political parties and addressed the need for constructive discussions with national and state political parties across all levels, an official spokesman said here today.
Congress was the only political party which requested deferral but did not reply to subsequent communications from ECI for rescheduling. The invite was sent to Congress President for May 15, the spokesman said.
The meetings were envisaged by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at the Conference of Chief Election Officers (CEOs) held in March. Accordingly, 4,719 structured meetings with all political were conducted comprising of 40 meetings by CEOs, 800 by DEOs, and 3,879 by EROs engaging over 28,000 representatives of various political parties.
Heads of all six recognized National Parties were invited and the Commission has already held meetings with the party heads/authorized representatives of five National parties in May.
The meetings provide a platform for Party heads to share their suggestions and concerns directly with the Commission and are in addition to the meetings of ECI with other delegations of political parties on their request.
Subsequently, the Commission has also interacted with 17 recognised State political parties during the months of July and August 2025. The process of meeting with the remaining political parties is underway, the spokesman added.
‘’These proactive meetings are a new initiative by the Commission and a departure from the earlier mode of interaction with political parties which were prompted solely by the representation from political parties. The initiative aligns with the Commission’s broader vision of further strengthening the electoral process in accordance with the existing legal framework with all stakeholders,’’ the spokesman added.
