ECI holds first All India Media Conference on role of media in strengthening democracy
New Delhi, July 17 (TNT): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday organised its first All India Media Conference 2026, bringing together more than 380 media professionals from States and Union Territories to discuss the role of media in strengthening the electoral process.
Held with the theme “Connecting stakeholders, strengthening democracy: Role of media in elections”, the conference focused on promoting informed understanding of election procedures, transparency measures and stakeholder participation in Indian elections.
Addressing the participants, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said elections in India are conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, electoral laws and instructions issued by the Election Commission from time to time. He added that the entire electoral process is subject to concurrent auditing by stakeholders involved in elections.
The CEC said India’s electoral rolls, covering nearly 95 crore electors, are a dynamic and continuously evolving document.
Highlighting the safeguards in electoral roll preparation, he said more than 12 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and over 15 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) actively participate in the process as “concurrent auditors”.
Referring to recent Assembly elections, Kumar said the highest-ever voter participation recorded in the polls reflects the confidence of electors in the country’s electoral system and the strength of Indian democracy.
He also thanked voters for their participation in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The conference provided an overview of transparency mechanisms under the Constitution of India, the Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951, and various ECI guidelines. Sessions also covered the ECINET platform, the role of technology in elections, and constitutional and legal provisions related to media during election periods.
Participants were briefed on the roles of Booth Level Agents, Polling Agents and Counting Agents in ensuring transparency, political party participation and accountability at different stages of elections.
As part of the programme, media representatives were given demonstrations on electoral roll preparation, polling procedures and counting processes. The sessions provided hands-on exposure to statutory forms and procedures that form the basis of stakeholder audits during elections.
The conference concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session between media professionals and CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
TNT KM
