New Delhi, Feb 22 (UNI) The Election Commission of India (ECI) will convene a National Round Table Conference of the Commission and State Election Commissioners (SECs) on February 24, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the poll panel said in a pres note on Sunday asserting that the conference is being organised after a gap of 27 years, with the last such meeting held in 1999.
The day-long conference will be chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the presence of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
According to an official press note, State Election Commissioners from all States and union Territories will participate in the conference along with their legal and technical experts. Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all 36 States and union Territories are also scheduled to attend.
The primary objective of the conference is to foster greater synergy between the ECI and SECs in managing electoral processes and logistics within their respective legal frameworks. The deliberations are expected to provide a platform for constructive exchange of ideas and strengthen cooperative federalism in electoral governance.
Discussions during the conference will focus on sharing of technology, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and Electoral Rolls, as well as on measures to further strengthen electoral processes.
Senior Commission officials will make presentations on key technological and operational initiatives, including the recently launched ECINET digital platform. The platform is expected to play a transformative role in streamlining electoral services.
Presentations will also underline the robustness, transparency and safeguards built into EVMs, a subject that has remained central to electoral discourse in recent years.
A comparative presentation on State and union Territory-wise eligibility of electors, with reference to the Representation of the People Act, 1950, will also be made. The exercise is aimed at facilitating informed deliberations on the legal frameworks governing preparation of Electoral Rolls across jurisdictions.
State Election Commissions are constituted under laws enacted by respective States, drawing authority from the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments. They are vested with the superintendence, direction and control of preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Panchayats and Municipal Bodies under Articles 243K and 243ZA of the Constitution.
The upcoming Round Table Conference is expected to mark a significant step in strengthening coordination between the national and state-level election management bodies, particularly at a time when technological integration and legal harmonisation are key priorities in India’s electoral ecosystem.
