National Roundtable Conference of the
Election Commission of India and State Election Commissioners concluded in New
Delhi
¨
National Roundtable
Conference of the Election Commission of India and State Election Commissioners
concluded in New Delhi.
¨
The conference
unanimously adopted the National Declaration 2026.
¨ The Declaration
emphasizes that accurate electoral rolls are essential for democracy.
¨
It states that
transparent and fair elections strengthen democratic institutions.
¨
The Commission proposed
to work with all State Election Commissioners to develop mutually agreed
frameworks.
¨
These frameworks will be
legally sound and support cooperation in the election process.
¨
This cooperation includes
sharing ECINET, EVMs, electoral rolls, and infrastructure within IIIDEM.
¨
The ECI and State
Election Commissions aim to align Panchayat and Municipal election laws with
those for Parliamentary and State Legislative elections.
¨
The ECI invited SECs to
participate in international engagements with the Commission.
¨
It recommended holding a
National Round Table Conference every year.
¨
This conference could be
held alongside an international conference chaired by the ECI.
¨ All recommendations from
the SECs will be reviewed by a joint team of legal and technical officers.
¨ A state- and UT-specific
action plan will be submitted to the ECI within three months to help it make
decisions in the best interest of the country.
¨ Chief Election
Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar emphasized the importance of a pure electoral roll.
¨ He explained that the
Special Intensive Revision Exercise aims to include all eligible voters and
remove ineligible voters from the roll.
¨ Currently, SIR is underway in 12 states. Eleven of these states have already published their updated electoral rolls.
¨ The Round Table Conference was held after 27 years. The last conference was held in 1999.
