EC to hold conference of State poll panels to build synergy

Seeking to build synergy between the functioning of the Election Commission (EC) of India and State Election Commissions (SEC) related to their respective processes, the poll authority will organise a national conference.

Besides state election commissioners, their legal experts will also attend the meeting on February 24, the EC said on Wednesday. The ‘National SEC Conference’ is being held after a gap of 27 years. The last such conference was held in 1999.

The SECs are created by the states to hold panchayat and municipal elections. They are separate and independent of the EC. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar will chair the conference along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

State election commissioners will participate along with their legal and technical experts. EC’s chief electoral officers (CEOs) of all 36 states and Union territories will also attend the meet.

Many state election commissioners had been meeting with the CEC and suggesting holding a national conference for better synergies, officials said.