CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Ambassador of Benin discuss poll management, training
New Delhi, July 20
Chief Election Commissioner and Chairman of the Council of Member States of International IDEA Gyanesh Kumar on Monday discussed issues of cooperation in election management and training of poll staff with the Ambassador of Benin to India, Erick Jean-Marie Zinsou, an official said.
The meeting took place at Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi, an official said in a statement.
The ECI shared photos of the meeting on social media and said, "Chief Election Commissioner and Chairman of Council of Member States of International IDEA @Int_IDEA Shri Gyanesh Kumar today met His Excellency Mr Erick Jean-Marie Zinsou, Ambassador of Benin to India at Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi."
"During the discussions, they resolved to work together closely on furthering the agenda charted out during the IICDEM, 2026. They also agreed to further cooperate on strengthening election management and training of election staff," it said.
Earlier, while formally accepting the Chairship of the Council of Member States of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for the year 2026, Gyanesh Kumar emphasised India's long democratic heritage.
He also highlighted the Election Commission of India's (ECI) decades-long experience in conducting transparent and credible elections.
Addressing representatives of member countries, observer nations and officials of International IDEA in December 2025, Gyanesh Kumar delivered his acceptance remarks first in Hindi and then in English.
He described the Election Commission of India as a constitutional body entrusted with conducting elections to the offices of the President, Vice President, Parliament and state legislatures.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar noted that India, with over 900 million voters across 28 states and eight Union Territories, has a robust and well-established electoral system refined over nearly 75 years.
He also highlighted the scale of India's election management, stating that during Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission becomes "the largest organisation on the planet," deploying more than one million personnel across the country.
— IANS
Reader Comments
India being the largest democracy truly shows our strength. CEC Gyanesh Kumar ji has been doing a commendable job in taking this forward. The training of election staff is crucial - we need more such exchanges.
While this is a nice diplomatic gesture, I hope we are also fixing our own internal issues like voter list accuracy and booth capturing in some states. Shining globally is good, but let's polish our own house first.
It's impressive that India manages over a million personnel for elections. This kind of expertise sharing with African nations like Benin makes sense for global democracy. Hope it leads to better electoral practices worldwide.
The mention of conducting elections in Hindi first shows our cultural pride. But the real test is whether these training programs are implemented effectively. Let's see some concrete outcomes rather than just photo ops.
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