New Delhi, 03 June (H.S.): Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday inaugurated the Election Commission’s two-day international conference at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIIDEM), emphasizing that the Commission trains grassroots-level functionaries such as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to facilitate seamless engagement with more than one billion voters across the country.

The Election Commission is hosting the two-day international conference on “The Role of Media in Promoting Global Best Practices and Innovations in Electoral Processes” at IIIIDEM in New Delhi. The conference, which concludes on Thursday, has brought together more than 480 participants, including District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), subject-matter experts, academicians, researchers, and members of Electoral Literacy Clubs.

Addressing the gathering, Gyanesh Kumar said the objective of the conference is to develop practical global knowledge resources by documenting international experiences, standard models, and best practices in election management. He noted that the initiative would contribute to the final thematic report envisaged under the Delhi Declaration adopted on January 23.

He further stated that the Election Commission continuously trains grassroots election personnel, including BLOs and BLAs, to ensure effective communication and coordination with over one billion voters nationwide. According to him, the confidence of voters in the electoral process was reflected in the high voter participation recorded during recent state assembly elections.

The Commission stated that the conference will deliberate on several critical issues related to modern media campaigns, including misinformation and disinformation, AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media, opaque digital political advertising, and platform governance.

According to the Election Commission, the event is being organized under India’s chairmanship of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and aims to foster global cooperation and knowledge-sharing on emerging electoral challenges in the digital age.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar