ECI Launches Capacity Building Programme for New Batch of Field-Level Electoral Officers
Panaji : The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a two-day capacity-building training programme aimed at strengthening grassroots electoral processes by equipping a new batch of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), BLO Supervisors, and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) from Haryana and the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
The programme was inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Shri Gyanesh Kumar at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi.
A total of 371 grassroots electoral officials are participating, including 306 ELOs from Bihar, 30 officials from Haryana, and 35 from the NCT of Delhi. With this batch, the ECI has trained over 2,600 field-level officials in the last two months.
In his address, CEC Gyanesh Kumar announced that standard Identity Cards would soon be issued to BLOs to facilitate their field-level duties, particularly during door-to-door verifications. He emphasized that all officials must strictly adhere to the Representation of the People Act, 1950, Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, and ECI guidelines.
The training focuses on practical modules covering voter registration, form handling (Forms 6, 7, and 8), and field-level electoral procedure implementation. Participants will also be educated on the first and second appeal process under Section 24(a) and 24(b) of the RP Act, 1950, which involve the District Magistrate and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) respectively.
Notably, no appeals were reported from Bihar, Haryana, or Delhi following the Special Summary Revision (SSR) held between January 6–10, 2025.
The programme includes interactive sessions, role plays, simulated house-to-house surveys, case studies, and hands-on exercises. Officials are also being trained on the Voter Helpline App (VHA) and IT tools, along with technical demonstrations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPATs, including mock polls.
This initiative is part of ECI’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the efficiency and transparency of India’s electoral machinery.
