New Delhi. The Election Commission of India (ECI) organized the first All India Media Conclave 2026 to discuss the theme “Engaging Stakeholders, Strengthening Democracy: Role of Media in Elections”. More than 380 journalists from states/union territories across the country participated in this conference. Special correspondent Satya Rajput of Read.com and News 24 Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh and correspondent Shivam Mishra also participated in the conference.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar addressed the participants during the conference. He also emphasized that elections in India are conducted in accordance with the Constitution of India, electoral laws and the instructions of the Election Commission of India issued from time to time. He said that the entire electoral process is concurrently audited by the stakeholders involved in the electoral processes in India.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said India’s electoral roll, with approximately 95 crore Indians, is a living document, which is evolving dynamically with time. Referring to the statutory safeguards inherent in the preparation of electoral rolls, he said that more than 12 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and more than 15 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) are actively involved in the process as “concurrent auditors”.
Gyanesh Kumar further said that the highest ever voting participation in the recent assembly elections is a testament to the faith of Indian voters in the country’s electoral system and the vibrancy of Indian democracy. He also expressed his gratitude to all the voters of India for their participation in the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process.
He said that the objective of this conference is to promote detailed understanding of various aspects of electoral processes and to explain how elections are conducted in India with utmost transparency involving key stakeholders of political parties and candidates.
The conference began with a broad overview of the important constitutional provisions and laws relating to the Constitution, the transparency measures provided in the Representation of the People Acts 1950 and 1951 and the instructions issued by the ECI from time to time, the ECINET platform and the role of technology in elections, and media matters during elections.
The participants were briefed about the roles and responsibilities of Booth Level Agents (BLAs), Polling Agents and Counting Agents, highlighting their role as concurrent auditors of elections in India in ensuring transparency, facilitating political party participation and strengthening the electoral process at various stages of elections.
As part of the programme, participants in the groups were also shown demonstrations of voter list preparation, voting process and vote counting process. These demonstrations provided an opportunity for journalists to gain practical experience of various statutory instruments, which provided the basis for concurrent audits by various stakeholders. After the sessions, a question and answer (Q&A) session of the participants was also held with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Senior journalists, resident editors and bureau heads of various media institutions of Chhattisgarh also participated in this conference.
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