ECI launches capacity-building programme for field-level officers from Bihar, Haryana and Delhi

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday inaugurated a two-day capacity-building training programme for Booth Level Officers (BLOs), BLO Supervisors, and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) from Haryana and the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The training is being held at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi.

A total of 371 grassroots electoral officers are participating in the programme -- including 306 BLOs from Bihar, 30 EROs and BLO Supervisors from Haryana, and 35 from Delhi.

With this batch, more than 2,600 field-level officials have been trained by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the past two months in New Delhi.

In his address, the CEC announced that standardised identity cards would soon be issued to BLOs to facilitate their door-to-door verification duties. He added that participants of this training would go on to train other BLOs in their respective states and union territories.

Emphasising adherence to electoral laws, the CEC reminded the trainees that their responsibilities must be carried out strictly in line with the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, and the directions issued by the Commission from time to time.

The training programme aims to strengthen participants’ practical understanding of electoral procedures, particularly in voter registration, form handling, and field-level operations.

It includes orientation on the appeal mechanisms under Section 24 of the RP Act, 1950 -- with first appeals made to the District Magistrate/Collector or Executive Magistrate under Section 24(a), and second appeals to the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24(b).

It may be noted that no appeals were filed from Bihar, Haryana, or Delhi following the Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise conducted from January 6 to 10 this year.

The curriculum features interactive sessions, role plays, simulated door-to-door surveys, case studies, and hands-on exercises for Forms 6, 7, and 8.

Participants will also receive practical training on the Voter Helpline App (VHA) and other IT tools. Technical sessions on the operation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), including mock polls, are also part of the programme.

--IANS

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