Ahmedabad: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has reiterated that India’s electoral process stands as one of the most transparent in the world, as verification measures are carried out at every stage, from voter list preparation to vote counting.
He participated and spoke at the 'Interaction with Booth Level Officers' event held on Friday at the Atal Kalam Auditorium of Gujarat University.
At that time, political parties, candidates, or their agents carry out verification work continuously at every stage of the election process, from preparing the voter list to voting and vote counting. Therefore, he said that India’s election process remains one of the most transparent election processes in the world.
Voter lists are continuously verified with the participation of political parties and their polling station-level agents.
He said that, in addition to ensuring that eligible voters are included in the electoral roll, it is also the responsibility of booth-level officers to identify categories such as voters who are not residing at the listed address, those who have moved to another place, the deceased, duplicate entries, and foreigners.
He said that booth-level officers and the booth-level agents of political parties should work together to remove errors in the voters’ list and to ensure that the name of every eligible Indian citizen who has completed 18 years of age is included in the electoral roll.
While ensuring that eligible voters are included in the list, he explained the transparency of the voting process, and said that before voting begins, the electronic voting machines and voter verification devices are also checked during mock polling in the presence of the candidates’ polling agents.
After voting ends, the procedures related to the electronic voting machine results are completed in the presence of the candidates’ agents, and the necessary documents are signed.
Similarly, during the counting of votes, in the presence of the candidates’ counting agents, the votes recorded in the electronic voting machines are verified against the votes mentioned in Form 17C.
To maintain the accuracy and reliability of the electoral rolls, the Election Commission periodically carries out voter list revision work (Special Intensive Revision).
Election officials go to voters’ homes and directly ask them to verify the necessary details. He also said that efforts are being made to make the voter list even more accurate through processes such as submitting the required documents, mapping, and public consultation meetings.
He urged the election officials to continue working diligently to maintain an accurate voter list. He also instructed them to check the voter list for their respective areas whenever they had time and to ensure that the procedures for adding the names of young people who had turned 18 were fully carried out.
He said this was one of the great services to the country’s democracy.
India currently holds the chairmanship of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an organization comprising 35 major democratic countries around the world. Kumar said this reflects the global recognition India has received for its free and fair electoral system.
He emphasized that the name of every citizen who has completed 18 years of age should be included in the voter list, and that people should fulfill their duty by casting their votes on polling day.