New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday commenced a two-day capacity building programme for Booth Level Officer (BLO) Supervisors at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi.

The 13th batch of training, inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, is being attended by 379 field functionaries, including 111 from Uttar Pradesh, 128 from Madhya Pradesh, 67 from Nagaland, 66 from Meghalaya, and seven from Chandigarh.

Addressing the participants, CEC Gyanesh Kumar emphasized that such training initiatives are vital to ensure electoral rolls and elections are conducted in strict compliance with the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.

“There can be nothing more transparent than the law in a democracy, and India's elections stand as a testament to this,” Kumar said.

He also urged trainees to understand and educate voters about the provisions related to first and second appeals against final electoral rolls, as per Sections 24(a) and 24(b) of the RP Act, 1950. Notably, no appeals were filed from the participating states and UTs following the Special Summary Revision held earlier this year.

The comprehensive training covers practical aspects of voter registration, handling forms, and on-ground execution of electoral procedures. Participants will also gain hands-on experience with IT tools and receive technical demonstrations on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), including mock polls.

Over the past three months, the ECI has trained more than 5,000 BLOs and supervisors to strengthen the integrity and transparency of India's electoral process.