CEC Gyanesh Kumar Highlights SIR as ECI Announces Assembly Election Dates

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the schedule for the upcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Puducherry, and West Bengal. The counting of votes for all these elections will be held on May 4.

During the announcement in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar emphasised that the Commission has introduced several reforms over the past year to strengthen transparency and improve the voting experience for citizens.

Focus on Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

CEC Gyanesh Kumar said one of the Commission's most significant initiatives has been the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to him, the exercise is designed to ensure that every eligible voter is included in the voter list while preventing ineligible names from remaining on the rolls.

He said the revision of voter lists was carried out across the poll-bound states to ensure that electoral data is accurate and updated before the voting process begins.

New Initiatives to Improve Voting Experience

Gyanesh Kumar also noted that the Election Commission has rolled out over 30 new measures in the past year to make elections more transparent and voter-friendly.

Some of the key initiatives include:

• Candidate photographs displayed in colour on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to help voters easily identify candidates.
• Limiting each polling station to a maximum of 1,200 voters to prevent long queues.
• Mobile deposit counters outside polling station gates, allowing voters to leave their phones before entering to vote and collect them afterwards.
• Candidate booths permitted just outside the 100-metre boundary of polling stations for voter assistance.

Unified Election App

The Commission has also launched a new integrated mobile platform called ECI-NET, which brings together all election-related services and information into a single application.

Through the app, voters and other stakeholders can access details about voter ID cards, polling stations, candidate affidavits, polling progress and counting updates in one place.

According to the Election Commission, these initiatives are aimed at ensuring a smoother election process, greater transparency and better access to information for voters and political stakeholders alike.

State-wise Polling Schedule

The Election Commission outlined the polling dates for each state and the Union Territory:

• Tamil Nadu (234 seats): Polling will be conducted in a single phase on April 23, with counting on May 4.
• Kerala (140 seats): Voting will take place on April 9, while counting will be held on May 4.
• Assam (126 seats): The state will vote on April 9, with results to be counted on May 4.
• Puducherry (30 seats): Polling will also take place on April 9, and counting is scheduled for May 4.
• West Bengal (294 seats): Voting will occur in two phases-152 seats on April 23 and 142 seats on April 29.

The election process will conclude on May 7, while counting will be conducted on May 4.