New Delhi [India]: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday said that the work of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) has evolved significantly over the past decades, while underscoring the crucial role of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) as the foundational pillar of India’s electoral democracy. He was addressing the inaugural session of the International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Welcoming international delegates, the CEC highlighted India’s unparalleled democratic scale. “The work of EMBs has evolved significantly over the past decades. India, as the world’s largest democracy, conducts elections on an unprecedented scale, encompassing 28 states and eight Union Territories, with a population of 1.5 billion,” Kumar said.
Taking delegates through India’s electoral journey, he explained how Indian elections have become the largest democratic exercise on the planet. “Each polling booth in India has roughly 970 electors, and the responsibility of ensuring that all eligible electors are included in the electoral roll is vested with the Booth Level Officers. A BLO is the foundational pillar of electoral democracy in India,” the CEC stated.
Referring to the most recent Lok Sabha elections, Kumar said that over 640 million citizens exercised their franchise across more than one million polling stations, with nearly two crore personnel involved in the massive exercise. He added that the Constitution divides elections into two broad segments — preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections — and stressed that accurate and inclusive electoral rolls are essential to strengthening democracy.
Citing Bihar as an example of electoral efficiency, the CEC noted that recent elections in the state began with purification of electoral rolls. “Out of 75 million electors, the number of appeals was zero. Amid intense public scrutiny, the rolls were finalised and elections were conducted successfully,” he said, crediting the efficiency of BLOs, Electoral Registration Officers, and the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) inaugurated the three-day IICDEM-2026, which is hosting nearly 100 delegates from around 70 countries and close to 1,000 participants. The inaugural session was attended by delegates from 42 Election Management Bodies, Ambassadors and High Commissioners from 27 countries, experts from over 70 national institutions, senior ECI officials, and 36 Chief Electoral Officers from across India.
In a specially organised reception ceremony, CEC Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, welcomed the international delegates. Emphasising public trust in electoral institutions, Sandhu said, “At the heart of every election is a citizen, believing that their choice will be respected, and it is the collective responsibility of EMBs to protect it.”
Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi said IICDEM-2026 brings together EMBs, researchers, students, and practitioners who approach elections from diverse perspectives, contributing to the strengthening of democratic institutions worldwide.
Director General of IIIDEM, Rakesh Verma, said the theme of India’s chairship — “Democracy for an inclusive, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world” — reflects a comprehensive and multi-dimensional understanding of what democracy must deliver in the 21st century.
Participants were also shown glimpses of the upcoming docuseries “India Decides,” produced in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery. Managing Director Arjun Nohwar said the series captures the complexity and scale of India’s general elections through the functioning of one of the world’s most demanding electoral institutions.
The three-day conference includes plenary sessions, EMB leaders’ meetings, working group discussions, and thematic sessions focusing on global electoral challenges, international standards, and innovations in election management. IICDEM-2026 is expected to be the largest global conference of its kind ever hosted by India in the domain of democracy and election administration.
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