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.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said elections in India are conducted in accordance with the Constitution, electoral laws and the Commission’s instructions issued from time to time. He said the electoral process is subject to concurrent scrutiny by multiple stakeholders involved at different stages.
Referring to the electoral rolls, Kumar said the voters’ list, comprising nearly 95 crore electors, is a “living document” that is continuously updated. He said over 12 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and more than 15 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) actively participate in the preparation and revision of electoral rolls, serving as concurrent auditors of the process.
The CEC said the record voter turnout in the recent Assembly elections reflected public confidence in India’s electoral system and the strength of its democratic institutions. He also thanked voters for participating in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The conference aimed to familiarise media professionals with various aspects of election management, including constitutional provisions, the Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951, transparency measures, the ECINET digital platform and the use of technology in elections.
Participants were also briefed on the roles of Booth Level Agents, Polling Agents and Counting Agents in ensuring transparency and facilitating political party participation throughout the electoral process.
As part of the programme, journalists attended demonstrations on electoral roll preparation, polling and counting procedures, gaining hands-on exposure to statutory forms and processes used during elections.
The event concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session between participants and the Chief Election Commissioner.
