EC to set up poll management institute

New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) The Election Commission todaysaid it will set up an institute to train people in electionmanagement.

"The work on the Indian Institute of Democracy andElection Management (IIEDM) has started and it should startfunctioning in three months," Chief Election Commissioner S YQuraishi said at the commission''s Diamond Jubilee Celebrationshere.

Expressed its willingness to share expertise with othernations, he said, "This institute will also be available tothe electoral management bodies of other countries if theydesire to benefit from it."

He said the EC has decided to consolidate the country''selection management skills at the central institute and buildup a resource centre accompanied by indepth documentation forlearning by both national and international practitioners ofelections and related fields.

Marking the occasion, President Pratibha Patil launchedthe National Voters'' Day, which is aimed at bringing moreyouth voters into the electoral process.

The President also distributed voter identity cards tofive newly eligible voters who attained the age of 18 years ason January 1 this year.

Coinciding with the National Voters'' Day, newly eligibleand registered voters in about 800,000 polling stations acrossthe country were being given voter identity cards.

Expressing concern over criminalisation of politics,influence of money power and paid news phenomenon, thePresident favoured introduction of a legislation to checkthese. .