Agartala, 17th July 2026 : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday organised its first-ever All India Media Conference 2026, bringing together more than 380 media professionals from States and Union Territories across the country. The conference, held under the theme “Connecting Stakeholders, Strengthening Democracy: Role of Media in Elections,” aimed to promote a deeper understanding of India’s electoral processes and the media’s role in strengthening democratic institutions.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said elections in India are conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, electoral laws, and the directions issued by the Election Commission from time to time. He emphasized that the entire electoral process is continuously audited by stakeholders, ensuring transparency and accountability at every stage.
Highlighting the robustness of India’s electoral system, the CEC described the country’s electoral rolls, covering nearly 95 crore voters, as a “living document” that evolves continuously. He noted that over 12 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 15 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) actively participate in the preparation and verification of electoral rolls, functioning as concurrent auditors of the process.
Gyanesh Kumar said the record voter turnout witnessed in the recent Assembly elections reflects the confidence of Indian electors in the country’s democratic framework. He also thanked citizens for their active participation in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The conference featured detailed sessions on constitutional provisions, the Representation of the People Acts, transparency measures in elections, the ECINET digital platform, and the role of technology in election management. Participants were also briefed on the responsibilities of Booth Level Agents, Polling Agents, and Counting Agents in ensuring free and fair elections.
Media delegates attended live demonstrations of electoral roll preparation, polling, and counting procedures, gaining hands-on exposure to statutory election forms and processes. The programme concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session between participants and the Chief Election Commissioner.
Pranab Sarkar, Editor Headlines Tripura, Anal Roy Choudhury Editor Pratibadi Kalam, Dr. Biswendu Bhattacharjee, Senior Correspondent UNI, Achintya Bhuiya , Editor Times 24, Avijit Nath , Journalist , Tripura Observer, Sujit De, Senior Journalist, Dibakar Debnath Senior Journalist, Ranjit Debbarma, Editor Chini Khorang, Abhijit Ghosh, Editor Janatar Mashal, Abhishek Dey, Journalist, Syandan Patrika have participated in the Conference from Tripura.
