DIMAPUR: A nine member delegation from Nagaland, comprising two officials from the CEO office and seven officials from the IPR Department, attended the one day conference for Media and Communication Officers hosted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi on July 3.
According to a DIPR report, the conference aimed to facilitate experience sharing and dissemination of best practices among States and Union Territories, strengthen media engagement and voter outreach, enhance misinformation management, and promote effective implementation of voter awareness activities, Electoral Literacy Club (ELC) initiatives and election related communication.
The programme brought together officers including Media Nodal Officers, Social Media Nodal Officers, District Media Nodal Officers and senior officials from State Departments of Public Relations across 16 States and UTs. A primary focus was training officers to identify and counter fake news, deepfakes and misleading narratives that threaten voter trust. Sessions also covered the entire election cycle “from roll to poll,” legal provisions, recent court orders, the ECINET platform and effective use of social media for voter outreach.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar emphasised that every action of the Commission is based on the Constitution, electoral laws and written instructions issued transparently. Cautioning officials against false narratives on social media, he urged proactive engagement to prevent misinformation. He added that the highest voter turnouts in recent assembly elections reflect the trust of Indian electors in the country’s electoral system.
Addressing participants, Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi highlighted the risks posed by AI, deepfakes and synthetic content spread by motivated actors to erode institutional trust. He urged officers to counter such attempts strictly on the basis of Commission rules and guidelines, while also engaging young voters through ELCs.
With several state assembly elections ahead, the conference underscored ECI’s commitment to ensuring that the “information ecosystem” remains as free and fair as the voting process itself. By equipping state level officers with advanced communication tools, the Commission aims to build a resilient defence against the growing challenge of digital disinformation.
