ECI meets with International IDEA delegation in Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) CEC Gyanesh Kumar on Monday along with election commisioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi met with a delegation from The International Institute for Democracy & Electoral Assistance (IDEA) led by Secretary General Kevin Casas Zamora, Chief of Staff, Jessica Kehayes and Secretary (West), Sibi George at the poll panel’s headquarters in New Delhi.

This comes months after CEC delivered the keynote address at the Stockholm International Conference on Electoral Integrity in June.

Speaking at the global forum hosted by the International IDEA, CEC reaffirmed the ECI’s dedication to conducting elections with integrity and supporting global capacity-building initiatives for Election Management Bodies (EMBs).

The conference was attended by over 100 participants representing EMBs from nearly 50 countries.

“Conducting elections with utmost integrity is a testament to our national resolve,” he stated, underlining the ECI’s global leadership in electoral practices.

Highlighting the sheer magnitude of India's democratic exercise, Kumar noted that India’s elections are conducted under the scrutiny of political parties, candidates, observers, media, and law enforcement -- ensuring transparency akin to concurrent audits at every stage.

During general elections, the ECI mobilises over 20 million personnel, including polling staff, police, observers, and political agents -- making it the world’s largest election management operation, he said.

Tracing the evolution of India’s electoral process, Kumar emphasised the Commission’s ability to adapt to growing complexities while remaining rooted in constitutional values.

“From 173 million electors in 1951-52 to 979 million in 2024, and from just 0.2 million polling stations in the early years to over 1.05 million today, India's electoral journey has demonstrated institutional foresight and unmatched scale,” he said.

He said the 2024 General Elections featured 743 political parties -- comprising six national and 67 state parties -- and over 20,000 candidates, with the process facilitated by 6.2 million Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Notably, Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday received a surprise call from Mosotho Moepya, Chairperson of South Africa’s Electoral Commission, who extended best wishes for the conduct of the Bihar elections — one of the largest democratic exercises in the world with nearly 75 million eligible voters.

Moepya said that South African parliamentarians are planning to visit India soon to study the country's electoral management system, often hailed as one of the most transparent and efficient globally.

This call came on the day when Bihar was witnessing the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections.

--IANS

sas/dan