Mayawati discusses electoral roll issues with CEC Gyanesh Kumar

IANS May 6, 2025 761 views

Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati met with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to discuss critical electoral roll issues. The meeting, held at Nirvachan Sadan, was part of the Election Commission's broader initiative to engage with political stakeholders. Discussions centered on voter list revisions and booth-level agent training, particularly in preparation for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The interaction reflects the ECI's commitment to strengthening the electoral process through collaborative dialogue with political parties.

"Political parties have specific roles to play in electoral processes" - Election Commission of India Statement
Mayawati discusses electoral roll issues with CEC Gyanesh Kumar
New Delhi, May 6: Issues related to electoral roll revision and training of booth-level agents figured prominently during Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s interaction with Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati on Tuesday.

Key Points

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Mayawati meets CEC to discuss electoral roll revision

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ECI emphasizes stakeholder engagement for poll reforms

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Over 4,700 all-party meetings held in March

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Booth-level agent training discussed

The meeting, also attended by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi and other BSP leaders, took place at Nirvachan Sadan. It holds significance as the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election is expected to be held in February-March 2027 to elect all 403 members.

An official said the meeting was in continuation of the Election Commission of India’s emphasis on fostering greater and regular engagement with different stakeholders.

The ECI initiated interactions with national and state political parties to enable them to share their concerns and suggestions, an official said.

This initiative aligns with the Commission’s broader vision of further strengthening the electoral process.

Earlier, a total of 4,719 all-party meetings, including 40 meetings by CEOs, 800 by DEOs, and 3,879 by EROs, engaging over 28,000 representatives of political parties, were organised in March.

An ECI statement said that as many as 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) held all-party meetings to resolve pending polling booth-level issues as part of the drive.

Political parties and their authorised representatives, such as booth level agents (BLAs), polling agents, counting agents and election agents, have specific roles to play in various electoral processes, including the conduct of elections, the ECI statement said.

In March, the Trinamool Congress demanded that the ECI ensure a "Unique ID" for the Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) cards in line with what is there in Aadhaar cards and passports. The Trinamool leadership also demanded a physical verification in case of those voters who had been registered online.

The party also appealed to the Election Commission to rectify the existing errors related to EPIC cards before linking them with the Aadhaar cards.

After the ECI decided to link voter IDs with the Aadhaar numbers, the Congress said, “Acknowledging the Congress party’s charge of suspect voter lists, the Election Commission seeks to clean it up using Aadhaar.”

Reader Comments

R
Rajesh K.
Glad to see EC taking proactive steps to engage with all parties. Electoral roll accuracy is crucial for fair elections. Linking with Aadhaar seems practical but must ensure no genuine voter is left out. UP elections will be a big test!
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Priya M.
Physical verification for online registrations is a must! So many fake voters get added otherwise. Mayawati raising this shows she's serious about clean elections in UP. EC should listen to all parties equally 🤞
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Amit S.
Why only now? These electoral roll issues have been there for years. All parties complain only when elections are near. EC should conduct annual audits with strict deadlines. #ElectoralReforms
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Sunita R.
Training booth-level agents is very important! Many rural voters depend on them for correct information. Hope BSP and other parties take this seriously rather than just doing token meetings. UP needs transparent elections after so many controversies.
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Vikram J.
Unique ID for voter cards makes sense, but privacy concerns must be addressed. We don't want another data leak like Aadhaar had. EC should consult cybersecurity experts before implementing anything new.
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Neha T.
Good initiative but execution matters! In my area during last elections, many names were missing despite proper registration. Hope 2027 UP elections will be better organized. EC should conduct mock drills in problematic districts.

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Tags:
Mayawati Gyanesh Kumar Election Commission Voter ID Electoral Reforms Uttar Pradesh Elections