ECI convenes National Conference of Counsels and CEOs to strengthen and reorient its legal framework

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer, Sh. Pankaj Agarwal said that the Election Commission of India has taken several new initiatives to improve the efficiency, transparency, and inclusiveness of the electoral process. 

These steps were taken through direct interaction with Chief Electoral Officers from all states and union territories, recognized national and state political parties, and legal experts during a recent meeting in New Delhi. 

These efforts have been welcomed by all stakeholders. Sh. Pankaj Agarwal said that Chief Election Commissioner, Sh. Gyanesh Kumar in the presence of Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi inaugurated the National Conference of Counsels representing the Election Commission of India at IIIDEM, New Delhi. 

Senior Advocates from the Supreme Court of India and 28 High Courts across the country along with the officers and 36 CEOs of all States/UTs participated in the Conference. This initiative is aimed at strengthening and reorienting the legal framework of the Commission to meet emerging challenges more effectively by achieving synergy. 

The conference laid emphasis on being non adversarial and to offer ample opportunities for hearing. The day-long conference provided a vital platform for dialogue and exchange between the Commission and prominent legal professionals from across the country. 

The strategic engagement marks a significant step by the Election Commission in aligning its legal resources with the dynamic landscape of electoral jurisprudence in India. Discussions focused on enhancing the preparedness, efficiency, and coordination of the Commission’s legal team, with particular emphasis on issues related to election law, judicial proceedings, and legal reforms. 

Through this interaction, the Commission sought to reinforce the effectiveness of its legal representation across various judicial forums. He further said that the Election Commission held a conference of Chief Electoral Officers at IIIDEM, New Delhi. 

The conference was held to firm up and devise a roadmap for the IT initiatives of ECI. ECI has already incubated a new initiative in 2025 to design and develop an Integrated Dashboard, ECINET, to provide a single window access to all the relevant data, within the ambit of requisite legal provisions, required by all its stakeholders. 

This unique initiative will unify all the ICT initiatives of ECI under a single umbrella.The Chief Electoral Officer said that the Election Commission has announced the schedule for biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha for 2 seats from Assam and 6 seats Tamil Nadu.

The official notification will be issued on June 2, 2025. Candidates can submit their nomination papers until June 9. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on June 10. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until June 12. 

Voting will be held on June 19, from 9:00am to 4:00pm. The counting of votes will begin the same day at 5:00pm. The entire election process will be completed by June 23, 2025.