With the Lok Sabha elections drawing closer, a two-day conference organised by the Election Commission for chief electoral officers of all states and Union territories kicked off at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management here on Thursday.

The conference is being held to share experiences and learnings from recently held state Assembly Elections in 2023, along with thematic discussions on election planning, expenditure monitoring, electoral roll, IT applications, data management, EVM, VVPAT, SVEEP strategy, media and communication, the poll panel said.

In his address, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar commended the chief electoral officers (CEOs) of the poll-gone states for successfully conducting elections in a free, fair, participative, peaceful and inducement free elections.

Stating that a solid set of preparations is in place for parliamentary elections 2024, Kumar stressed that the road to the elections is a journey of duty and resolve, and expressed confidence in the readiness with all necessary interventions to provide the best possible electoral experience to all stakeholders, befitting the largest democracy of the world.

He said the thrust of the upcoming elections would be to ensure the best possible experience for the voters.

Kumar said that the conference would provide an opportunity for all CEOs to learn from each other’s experiences and challenges.

Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey said, “This conference is a culmination of the exercise that started with various conferences, workshops, trainings, seminars organised in the past six months as part of the preparations for the 2024 elections. It provides a platform for cross fertilisation of ideas where participants gain to learn from each other about challenges, solutions and their best practices in election management.”

“This conference provides a platform for team building ahead of the mammoth task of conducting general elections in 2024,” Election Commissioner Arun Goel said.

On the first day, the CEOs of the poll-gone states gave detailed presentations about their experiences, learnings and innovative practices they adopted during the elections.

The CEOs from the other states also presented their status of preparation for conduct of elections in various thematic areas.

On the occasion, the new version of the poll panel’s website was also launched. The website is re-designed for better experience and easy access to information with a focus on all stakeholders. The website has a dedicated section where voters, political parties and candidates can access all relevant information, services, IT platforms and apps designed to facilitate them at one place.