Election Commission of India (ECI) today organized the second conference of the National Council of ECI Counsels 2026 at IIIDEM, New Delhi with an aim to further strengthen its legal framework and strategy. This one-day conference was presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in which Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi were also present. The conference was attended by advocates representing the Commission in the Supreme Court and various High Courts as well as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and senior Commission officials.
Inaugurating the conference, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said, “Fair elections are possible only with an unbiased voter list. Today India stands on this principle.” He termed BLOs (Booth Level Officers) and BLAs (Booth Level Agents) as foot soldiers in voter list management. Also, congratulated the voters for the historic turnout in the recently concluded assembly elections of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. He also underlined the high level of competition in these elections and appreciated the dedicated efforts of the advocates representing the Commission in courts across the country.
Emphasis on strengthening coordination
Addressing the conference, Election Commissioner Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu said that this one-day conference will further strengthen the coordination between the ECI and its legal representatives across the country. Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi said that this conference will provide an important platform for exchange of experiences and in-depth discussions on emerging legal challenges. This will help in formulating effective legal strategies to maintain election integrity in a dynamic electoral environment.
‘One year of legal challenges, experiences, learnings and the way forward’
The theme of the conference was one year of legal challenges, experiences, learning and the way forward. It proved to be an important platform for dialogue and discussion between the Commission and legal professionals from across the country. Interactive sessions on key electoral processes were organized during the conference. These included voter list management, special amendment campaign (SIR), voting and counting processes.
EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) demonstration
Apart from this, experience-sharing sessions were organized by the advocates. There were also in-depth discussions on election laws, judicial proceedings, legal reforms, institutional coordination, role of media and technology-driven initiatives of the ECI (such as ECINet). These sessions provided a powerful platform to examine emerging issues in the electoral and legal scenario.
This conference was based on the results of the first National Council held in 2025. It provided an opportunity to review progress, exchange experiences and set priorities for further strengthening the legal framework of the Commission.
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