The Election Commission on Thursday announced that the maximum number of electors assigned to a single polling station has been restricted from 1500 to 1200, a step which is expected to significantly reduce overcrowding and waiting time at polling booths.

This is also a step to make the voting process more accessible and streamlined for citizens.

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Recognizing the growth of urban settlements, high-rise buildings and residential colonies, the poll panel  also has a vision for the setting up of additional polling booths within such societies to make voting more convenient and locally accessible to voters.

Furthermore, voter information slips are being redesigned to become more user-friendly, with serial numbers and part numbers now displayed more prominently for easy identification of polling details.

In a move to enhance the accuracy of the electoral rolls, the EC will now directly obtain death registration data from the Registrar General of India (RGI), and once verified, this data will be used to remove the names of deceased persons from the rolls, ensuring greater authenticity.

The poll panel has also conducted an extensive outreach program to engage political parties across the country, and so far a total of 4,719 meetings have been held at the levels of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), District Electoral Officers (DEOs), and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), with over 28,000 representatives of political parties participating in these consultative sessions.

In line with this, 40 meetings were held at the CEO level, 800 at DEO level and 3,879 at the level of EROs across the country.

Additionally, the Commission has held meetings with the heads of several National and State-level political parties, including AAP, BJP, BSP, CPI(M) and NPP, among others.

The Commission is also focusing on strengthening the workforce involved in the election process through targeted training and identification measures.

Special orientation programs have been conducted for State and Media Nodal Officers from all 36 States and Union Territories. In addition, Police Officers from Bihar have undergone election-specific training to enhance coordination and preparedness for polling duties.

Under leadership of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the ECI has undertaken transformative initiatives that will significantly strengthen the electoral framework of the country.

These initiatives reflect a steadfast commitment to upholding the integrity of the electoral process and deepening democratic participation, embodying the Commission’s role as a guardian of India’s vibrant democracy.