Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, JUL 17 (NPN): Nine journalists from Nagaland were among over 350 media personnel from across the country who attended the All India Media Conference (AIMC) 2026, organised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in New Delhi on July 17.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, addressing the gathering, described the conference as a “much awaited initiative” and underscored the critical role of media as one of the most important stakeholders in a democratic setup.
Dwelling on the recently launched ECINet, he said all data legally required for public dissemination was made available on the app to ensure accountability in the electoral process. He further informed that over 27 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) are continuously engaged in updating electoral rolls across the country.
Emphasising India’s electoral credibility, Kumar remarked that India is among the most transparent electoral systems in the world, adding that delegations from around 40 democratic countries visit India to study and learn from its electoral practices. He also noted that voter turnout in many Indian states has surpassed that of countries where voting is mandatory, attributing this to systematic electoral reforms and active participation driven by multiple contesting candidates.
He reiterated that elections in India are conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, electoral laws and instructions issued by the ECI.
The day long conference, held at IIIDEM, Dwarka, featured presentations on various topics: DG (Media) Ashish Goyal spoke on “Connecting Stakeholders, Strengthening Democracy: The Role of Media in Elections”; DG (IT) Dr. Seema Khanna presented on “Know the ECINet Platform & Role of Technology in Elections”; and DDG (Law) Vijay Kumar Pandey addressed “Important Constitutional Provisions and Laws, Recent Judgements/Orders.”
Detailed sessions on electoral roll preparation, polling and counting processes, along with demonstrations, were also conducted. The programme concluded with a question and answer session conducted by the commissioner.