ECI to intensify campaigns against voter apathy ahead of 2026 polls
The number of polling stations in Assam is also likely to increase by an additional 3,000-3,500 by the time of the Assembly elections.;
Speaking during an interactive meeting with media persons here on Wednesday, ECI assistant director Apurva Kumar said intensive Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) campaigns will be undertaken in the urban areas to address voter apathy.
“Voter apathy is a serious issue in India, particularly in the urban areas. If we look at the historical data, we will find that turnout in Assam has been decent during elections over the years. Yet, in some areas there is voter apathy. So, in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly polls, we shall undertake campaigns to tackle the issue,” Kumar said.
He added that local and regional influencers would be used at the local level in both urban and rural areas to create awareness about various election-related matters as well as to increase the voter turnout.
With the ECI having decided to reduce the maximum number of voters at a polling station to 1,200 from the earlier existing 1,500, the number of polling stations in Assam is also likely to increase by an additional 3,000-3,500 by the time of the Assembly elections.
There are now 29,565 polling stations in Assam.
Kumar added that the ECI has taken 23 new initiatives at the national level to make the electoral process more transparent as well as to streamline the system and increase voter participation, among other things.
“Mobile phone deposit facilities for voters will be provided at all polling stations. Special Summary Revisions ahead of bye-elections have been taken up for the first time in nearly two decades. The maximum number of voters at a polling station has been restricted to 1,200. Additional polling booths will be set up in high-rises and colonies for the benefit of the electorate. For electoral roll updation, data of death registration is to be directly obtained from the RGI database and will be updated after verification. Voter Information Slips are to be made more elector-friendly. Serial number and part number of the voter will now be displayed more prominently in the slips,” Kumar said.
The ECI has also reduced the distance norms for canvassing to 100 meters from the entrances of polling stations for the benefit of the political parties.
“Pan-India all-party meetings have been conducted at the chief electoral officer (CEO), district electoral officer (DEO), and electoral registration officer (ERO) levels. Altogether, 4,719 meetings have been held, in which more than 28,000 representatives of political parties have participated. Capacity-building programmes for booth-level agents of political parties have been undertaken at IIIDEM, New Delhi. Such programmes for booth-level agents of political parties of Assam will also be conducted soon. ECI has also introduced a new integrated dashboard, ECINET, with the aim to provide all services for all stakeholders at a single point. The issue of duplicate EPIC numbers has been resolved in record time, and a new mechanism for Unique EPIC numbers has been put in place,” he said.
“Altogether 28 stakeholders were identified in the entire process of preparation of electoral rolls and conduct of elections, including electors, election officials, political parties, candidates, and others based on Representation of the People Act, 1951, Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, and the instructions issued by the ECI from time to time. For each of these stakeholders, training presentations are being prepared based on the acts, rules, and instructions of the Commission,” Kumar said.