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Maharashtra Election Officials to Observe Colombia's Congress Polls as International Delegates

A delegation from Maharashtra, headed by Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam, will travel to Colombia to serve as international observers for the country's congressional elections. The visit, scheduled from March 6 to 10, falls under the Election Commission of India's Global Engagement for Electoral Excellence initiative. The initiative aims to examine international best practices and disseminate India's electoral management expertise globally. The delegation's participation follows an official invitation from Colombia's National Electoral Council and has received necessary clearances from Indian authorities.

Key Points: Maharashtra CEO Leads Election Observer Team to Colombia

  • 5-member delegation from Maharashtra
  • Observing Colombia's March 8 Congress elections
  • Part of ECI's Global Engagement for Electoral Excellence (GEEE)
  • Aim to share India's electoral expertise
2 min read

Maha CEO-led delegation heads to Columbia as international poll observers

A 5-member Maharashtra delegation, led by CEO S Chockalingam, will observe Colombia's congressional elections as part of an ECI global initiative.

"advance the objectives of the said initiative - Election Commission of India"

Mumbai, March 5

A five-member delegation from Maharashtra, headed by the state's Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam will travel to Columbia as International Observers in the International Observation Mission for the elections to the Congress of the Republic of Columbia from March 6 to 10. The elections in Columbia are slated to be held on March 8 this year.

Along with Chockalingam, the delegation includes, Ashirwad Kumar District Election Officer & Collector, Solapur; Manohar Ramchandra Parkar, Joint Chief Electoral Officer & Deputy Secretary, Maharashtra; Priyesh Lakhuchand Mahajan, Electoral Registration Officer, 59-Ramtek Assembly Constituency and Sub-divisional Officer, Ramtek, Nagpur and Sagar Ashok Shirke, Booth Level Officer (Talathi-Ozar), Niphad, Nashik.

Under the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s Global Engagement for Electoral Excellence (GEEE) initiative, a comprehensive exercise has been undertaken to examine international best practices in electoral management and to disseminate India's institutional experience and expertise at the global level.

In furtherance of this initiative, specific countries have been identified and allocated to the respective Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the State for focussed engagement.

The State of Maharashtra has been assigned the Republic of Colombia for this purpose.

Accordingly, as directed by the Commission, a five-member delegation, led by the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra, shall undertake an official visit to the Republic of Colombia from March 6 to 10 to advance the objectives of the said initiative.

As part of this initiative and as elections for the Colombian Congress are scheduled on March 8, Presidente, Consejo Nacional Electoral, Colombia vide his letter has invited the five-member delegation headed by S Chockalingam, Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra as International Observers in the International Observation Mission for the elections to the Congress of the Republic.

Indian International Institute of Democracy and Election Management has obtained required clearance for the visit from the Ministry of External Affairs and approval from the Election Commission of India and has communicated to this office vide their letter dated February 10 this year.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Great initiative, but I hope the focus remains on improving our own electoral processes too. We still have issues with voter turnout in urban areas and accessibility. Let's not just export knowledge, but keep refining it at home.
A
Aditya G
Interesting to see a Booth Level Officer from Nashik in the delegation. Shows that ground-level experience is valued. Conducting elections in a country of our size and diversity is no small feat. Best of luck to the team!
S
Sarah B
As someone who has observed elections in different countries, India's EVM and VVPAT system is remarkably efficient. Sharing this technical and logistical knowledge is a great soft power move.
V
Vikram M
Colombia is a fascinating choice. They've had their own challenges with democracy. Hope our delegation can learn from their experiences as well. Knowledge exchange should be a two-way street.
K
Karthik V
The delegation has officers from Solapur, Nagpur, and Nashik – good regional representation from across Maharashtra. Shows a team effort beyond just Mumbai. Well done!

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