New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday convened the second National Conference of Counsels representing the poll body, bringing together legal experts, senior election officials and chief electoral officers to discuss emerging legal challenges and strengthen the Commission’s legal framework.
The conference was inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in the presence of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi.
Advocates representing the Commission before the Supreme Court and various high courts, along with chief electoral officers and senior ECI officials, participated in the conference.
Addressing the gathering, the CEC stressed the importance of maintaining accurate electoral rolls, stating that “fair rolls lead to fair polls”. He described Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) as the backbone of electoral roll management and congratulated voters for their participation in the recently concluded assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Kumar also praised the Commission’s legal teams for their efforts in defending and representing the poll body before courts across the country.
Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu said the conference would help strengthen coordination between the ECI and its legal representatives, while Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi noted that the deliberations would facilitate the development of effective legal strategies to address emerging challenges in the electoral process.
Held under the theme “A Year of Legal Challenges, Experiences, Learnings and the Way Forward”, the conference featured discussions on electoral roll management, the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), polling and counting procedures, election laws and judicial proceedings.
Interactive sessions also focused on institutional coordination, electoral reforms, media narratives and technology-driven initiatives of the Commission, including the ECINET platform. Demonstrations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and experience-sharing sessions by advocates formed part of the day’s proceedings.
The conference builds on the outcomes of the inaugural National Conference of ECI Counsels held in 2025 and aims to identify priorities for strengthening the Commission’s legal preparedness in an evolving electoral environment.
