Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar highlighted the crucial need for stronger coordination between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and State Election Commissioners. At a National Round Table Conference, he stressed the importance of unified strategies for managing electoral rolls, utilizing technology, and sharing best practices to improve the integrity and efficiency of electoral processes. The conference, chaired by the CEC, was attended by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
Election Commissioner Sandhu urged State Election Commissioners to exchange and implement best practices among themselves, emphasizing that trust forms the basis of electoral processes and advocating for collaborative efforts between the ECI and SECs. Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi highlighted the significance of digital collaboration, urging the utilization of the ECINET digital platform to bridge the functioning of the ECI and State Election Commissions.
The discussions at the conference facilitated a productive exchange of ideas, promoting cooperative federalism in electoral management. Participants endorsed the National Declaration, emphasizing the importance of accurate electoral rolls as the cornerstone of democracy. The declaration also outlined plans for aligning laws concerning Panchayats and Municipal Bodies with those governing parliamentary and state elections to serve national and constitutional interests.
The conference also saw the launch of a new ECI publication titled ‘A Confluence of Democracies,’ documenting the recent India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM) 2026. This publication chronicles the involvement of international delegates from 70 countries, thematic sessions, bilateral meetings, and the adoption of the Delhi Declaration 2026. The successful National Round Table Conference, held after 27 years, paved the way for enhanced collaboration through the sharing of technological solutions like EVMS, ECINET, and Electoral Rolls.
