CEC asks CEOs to share best practices of various innovative steps taken by poll-gone states
New Delhi, Jun 15 (FN Agency) Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra on Tuesday asked the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to share the best practices of the various innovative steps taken by the poll-gone states for learning and customisation for future elections. The Election Commission organised a virtual conference of the Chief Electoral Officers of all the states and Union Territories (UTs). The conference primarily focused on key thematic issues like smooth, efficient and voter friendly services, updation/purity of the electoral roll, integration of IT Applications, extensive voter outreach program, Media and Communication strategy, Expenditure monitoring, legal issues, EVM and VVPAT storage related infrastructure and training and capacity building, the Election Commission said in a statement.
Addressing the CEOs, Mr Chandra stressed the importance of such periodic review meetings for revamping back-end systems so that voter centric services can be delivered swiftly and efficiently on priority. Mr Chandra said such CEO review meetings would be institutionalised and will be organised more frequently. He emphasised that CEOs should make sustained year round efforts to engage with new voters for registration and other services like correction, change of address etc for existing voters and awareness of hassle free facilitation platforms of Election Commission. Mr Chandra reiterated the importance of an updated and error free electoral roll.
Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar in his address said that CEOs of the recently poll-gone states should suggest ways of scaling up/integrating their successful best practices such as mobile apps for absentee voters, criminal antecedents and randomisation of polling /police personnel. He emphasised that protocols of SOPs for storage and movement of EVMs should be strictly adhered to and monitored by CEOs. He added that CEOs should ensure periodic physical inspection of EVM storage warehouses. Mr Kumar also said CEOs should send their suggestions and ideas for new reforms to be taken up in the identified verticals being examined by the Core Committee. Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey commended the CEOs for their constructive suggestions. He said the non-election period should be utilised by CEOs to consolidate and fill up gaps of manpower resources and Infrastructure, plan for communication and awareness activities and step up training and capacity building as per their state specific needs.