ECI unveils 21 electoral reforms to improve poll transparency and voter access

Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday outlined 21 fresh initiatives aimed at strengthening poll efficiency, improving voter access, and countering disinformation. The reforms, announced under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, were presented during a media interaction convened to underline the ECI’s partnership with press stakeholders in tackling misinformation and promoting verified updates.

The Commission said the maximum number of voters per polling station has been reduced from 1,500 to 1,200 to ease congestion. Additional polling booths will be set up in dense residential areas, including high-rise buildings and gated colonies, and all polling stations will now be located within two kilometres of voters’ homes.

The permissible distance for campaign booths near polling stations has been cut from 200 metres to 100 metres. Voters will be allowed to deposit mobile phones at designated counters outside polling premises.

A central digital platform, ECINET, has been launched to integrate over 40 existing ECI websites and applications. The system will also link voter databases with the Registrar General’s death records to remove deceased voters from the rolls. A nationwide initiative is underway to resolve duplicate EPIC (Voter ID) entries.

Over 4,700 meetings with political parties, involving more than 28,000 party representatives, have been held as part of consultative feedback. National-level consultations with major political parties are also in progress.

Training has been conducted for 3,500 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), with plans to scale this up to 1 lakh nationwide. Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from political parties will also receive training to ensure transparency during field-level operations.

ECI is rolling out mobile applications for BLOs, expanding outreach to young, urban, and marginalised voters, and implementing biometric attendance systems and e-Office platforms within the organisation. State police units are undergoing refresher sessions on poll enforcement and inter-agency coordination.

Election media officers are being trained to counter unverified reporting, and inter-agency coordination mechanisms have been activated at national and state levels. A national conference involving legal professionals from the Supreme Court and High Courts has also been held to discuss updates in election law.

Senior officials reiterated that all reforms are being implemented to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections, with emphasis on accuracy, responsiveness, and improved public engagement.