New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, inaugurated the 2nd National Conference of Counsels representing the Election Commission of India (ECI) at IIIDEM, New Delhi, on Saturday. The conference was attended by advocates representing the Commission before the Supreme Court and various High Courts, as well as Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) and senior ECI officials.
Addressing the conference, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said, “Fair rolls lead to fair polls. That’s the moment today and India is in it.” He described Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) as the foot soldiers of electoral roll management and congratulated voters in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal for their historic participation. He also highlighted the high level of electoral contestation and commended the counsels for their efforts in representing the Commission before courts across the country.
Election Commissioner Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu said the one-day conference would further strengthen coordination between the ECI and its legal representatives nationwide. Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi noted that the conference would serve as a platform for sharing experiences and deliberating on emerging legal challenges to help formulate effective legal strategies for safeguarding electoral integrity.
The conference, themed “A Year of Legal Challenges, Experiences, Learnings and the Way Forward,” focused on strengthening the Commission’s legal framework through dialogue and exchange between election officials and legal professionals.
Interactive sessions covered key electoral processes, including electoral roll management, Special Intensive Revision (SIR), polling and counting procedures, and Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) demonstrations. The programme also featured discussions on election laws, judicial proceedings, legal reforms, institutional coordination, media narratives, and the Commission’s technology-driven initiatives, including ECINET.
Building on the outcomes of the National Conference of ECI Counsels held in 2025, the event provided an opportunity to review progress, exchange insights and identify priorities for further strengthening the Commission’s legal framework.
