ECI rolls out 18 new reforms to strengthen electoral process in Himachal
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Himachal Pradesh, Ms. Nandita Gupta today here informed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken a significant step for ensuring free, fair and transparent elections by introducing 18 new initiatives over the past three months. These reforms aim to enhance the overall electoral experience and encourage wider participation among stakeholders in the state.
The CEO said that for the benefit of electors, several citizen-centric steps have been introduced. The maximum number of voters at a polling station has now been limited to 1200 to ensure smoother polling. Additional polling booths would be established in high-rise buildings and densely populated colonies to improve accessibility. To streamline electoral roll updation, data from the Registrar General of India (RGI) concerning deaths would now be obtained and verified directly before being reflected in the rolls. Moreover, voter information slips were being redesigned to prominently display the voter’s serial and part number, making them more user-friendly.
Nandita Gupta said that in terms of procedural reforms, the Election Commission has launched a new integrated digital platformECINET. This dashboard aims to consolidate all electoral services under a single application, replacing more than 40 existing apps and websites. A long-standing issue related to duplicate EPIC numbers has also been resolved through a new mechanism that ensures the uniqueness of voter identity numbers.
She said that the political parties have also been actively engaged under the new initiatives. Pan-India all-party meetings were organized at various levels CEO, DEO and ERO levels.
On the legal front, 28 stakeholders involved in the electoral process—from electors and political parties to candidates and election officials have been identified based on the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 and related ECI instructions. Tailored training presentations are now being prepared for each stakeholder group to ensure greater legal compliance and understanding, said the CEO.
She further stated that the Commission has also introduced key reforms to support election staff. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would now receive standardized photo identity cards. More than 3,000 booth level supervisors have already been trained at IIIDEM, New Delhi, with plans to train over 1 lakh more in the coming years. Orientation programmes have also been conducted for State and Mobile Nodal Officers (SMNOs & MNOs) from the CEO offices of all 36 States and Union Territories.
The CEO said that at the institutional level, the ECI has implemented biometric attendance systems and operationalised the E-Office platform for improved administrative efficiency. Regular meetings with Chief Electoral Officers were also being held to monitor the implementation of these reforms and ensure their effective rollout across the country.
