Lucknow – The Election Commission of India (ECI), through its training arm India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi, launched the seventh batch of training for Booth Level Officer (BLO) supervisors today. The session saw participation from ground-level election officials across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh.
In total, 353 BLOs and BLO supervisors are undergoing the specialized training program, including 101 from Uttar Pradesh, 82 from Uttarakhand, 83 from Rajasthan, and 84 from Himachal Pradesh. This initiative is part of ECI’s larger goal to strengthen election management at the grassroots level. Notably, over 3,350 regional officers have been trained in the past two months alone by the ECI at its New Delhi center.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar addressed the participants during the inaugural session and emphasized the importance of adhering strictly to the Representation of the People Act, 1950, Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, as well as the latest directives issued by the Commission.
He stressed that such training initiatives are crucial for ensuring free, fair, and efficient elections and that the BLOs must fully understand their roles and responsibilities, particularly under Section 24(A) and 24(B) of the RP Act. These sections relate to filing appeals against the final electoral rolls before the District Magistrate/Collector/Executive Magistrate and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the respective State or Union Territory.
Gyanesh Kumar encouraged BLOs and their supervisors to educate voters about these provisions during their interactions, thereby promoting greater transparency and voter awareness.
It is noteworthy that no appeals were filed from these four states—Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh—following the Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise held between January 6–10, 2025, indicating procedural satisfaction and accuracy in the voter lists.
The training curriculum is designed to enhance practical understanding of key electoral processes such as voter registration, form handling, and on-ground implementation. Participants are also receiving hands-on training in the use of IT tools, and will undergo demonstrations and mock drills involving Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems.
The program reflects ECI’s commitment to building a cadre of well-informed, technically equipped, and legally aware election officials, laying a robust foundation for future electoral exercises.
