New Delhi [India], January 21 : Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday emphasised that the Booth Level Officer (BLO) serves as the foundational pillar of India's electoral democracy.
He addressed the inaugural session of the Indian International Conference on Democracy and Election Management 2026 (IICDEM-2026) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Speaking at the event, CEC took delegates through India's electoral journey, explaining 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 the electors, and ensuring that all eligible electors are included in the electoral roll, is vested with the Booth Level Officers (BLOs). A BLO is the foundational pillar for the electoral democracy in India," CEC said.
"Last year's Lok Sabha elections saw more than 640 million people exercise their franchise across more than a million polling stations, with roughly two crore people involved in this exercise," he added.
According to the Constitution, Indian elections are divided into two broad segments, preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections. Kumar stressed that pure electoral rolls, including every eligible elector as per law, are essential to strengthening democracy.
Citing Bihar's recent elections as an example of electoral efficiency, the CEC noted that "Bihar went into elections recently. The first step was the purification of electoral rolls, including eligible electors. With the efficiency of the Booth Level Officers, the Electoral Registration Officers, and the Chief Election Officer of Bihar, out of 75 million electors, the number of appeals were zero. Amidst tight public scrutiny and the watch of all citizens in Bihar and across the country, the electoral rolls were finalised, and then the elections were held," CEC explained.
IICDEM-2026 marks the largest conference of its kind ever hosted by India in democracy and election management. Nearly 100 delegates from around 70 countries are participating in the three-day conference, which commenced today.
The conference was attended by nearly 1,000 persons, including delegates from 42 Election Management Bodies (EMBs), Ambassadors and High Commissioners of 27 countries, experts from over 70 national institutions, senior ECI officers, and 36 Chief Electoral Officers from across India.
Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi also addressed the gathering. Sandhu emphasised that "at the heart of every election is a citizen, believing that their choice will be respected," while Joshi highlighted how IICDEM-2026 brings together diverse perspectives on electoral processes.
DG IIIDEM Rakesh Verma explained that the theme for India's chairship, "democracy for an inclusive, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world", reflects a comprehensive understanding of democracy's role in the 21st century.