New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Saturday placed electoral roll integrity at the centre of its legal and administrative strategy, with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar saying that fair elections begin with fair voter lists.
Kumar made the remarks while inaugurating the second National Conference of ECI Counsels 2026 at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management in New Delhi. Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi were also present at the one day conference.
The meeting brought together advocates representing the Commission before the Supreme Court and different High Courts, along with Chief Electoral Officers and senior ECI officials. The larger focus was on strengthening legal coordination and preparing the institution for new challenges around elections, voter rolls, polling, counting and technology.
Opening the conference, Kumar said, “Fair rolls lead to fair polls. That’s the moment today and India is in it.” He described Booth Level Officers and Booth Level Agents as the foot soldiers of electoral roll management. He also congratulated voters in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal for their strong participation.
Dr Sandhu said the conference would improve coordination between the ECI and its legal representatives across the country. Dr Joshi said it would help in sharing experiences and shaping effective legal strategies to protect electoral integrity in a fast changing political and technological environment.
The conference was held on the theme “A Year of Legal Challenges, Experiences, Learnings and the Way Forward.” Sessions covered electoral roll management, Special Intensive Revision, polling and counting procedures, EVM demonstrations, election laws, judicial proceedings, legal reforms, media narratives and ECI’s technology driven initiatives such as ECINET.
The discussion comes at a time when election management is facing sharper legal, political and public scrutiny. For the Commission, the message was clear: credible elections depend not only on polling day arrangements, but also on the accuracy, transparency and legal strength of the entire electoral process.