Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has delivered a powerful message. He emphasized that the Booth Level Officer is the foundational pillar of India’s electoral democracy. This statement came during a major international conference in New Delhi.
Kumar addressed the inaugural session of the Indian International Conference on Democracy and Election Management 2026. The event is being held at the Bharat Mandapam. He took delegates through India’s remarkable electoral journey.
Indian elections are the largest democratic exercise on the planet. This scale requires an immense and dedicated administrative machinery. The Booth Level Officer operates at the very heart of this system.
Each polling booth in India has roughly 970 electors. The BLO’s responsibility is crucial. They ensure all eligible electors are included in the electoral roll.
This role makes the BLO the foundational pillar for the process. Their work directly impacts the integrity of every vote cast. Without their meticulous efforts, the system would falter.
Kumar provided staggering numbers from the last Lok Sabha elections. More than 640 million people exercised their franchise. This happened across more than a million polling stations.
Roughly two crore people were involved in managing this exercise. This highlights the colossal human effort behind Indian democracy. The BLO is the essential first link in this chain.
The Constitution divides Indian elections into two broad segments. These are the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections. Kumar stressed that pure electoral rolls are essential to strengthening democracy.
He cited a recent example of electoral efficiency from Bihar. The first step there was the purification of electoral rolls. Booth Level Officers played a key role in this process.
With the efficiency of the BLOs and other officers, the results were remarkable. Out of 75 million electors, the number of appeals was zero. The rolls were finalized under tight public scrutiny before elections were held.
The IICDEM-2026 conference itself is a landmark event. It marks the largest conference of its kind ever hosted by India on this topic. Nearly 100 delegates from around 70 countries are participating.
The three-day conference saw attendance from nearly 1,000 persons. This included delegates from 42 Election Management Bodies. Ambassadors and experts from numerous national institutions were also present.
Other Election Commissioners also addressed the gathering. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu emphasized the citizen’s belief that their choice will be respected. Vivek Joshi highlighted how the conference brings together diverse global perspectives.
Director General Rakesh Verma explained the conference’s overarching theme. It is ‘democracy for an inclusive, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world’. This reflects a comprehensive 21st-century understanding of democracy’s role.
The foundational pillar of this entire democratic edifice remains the Booth Level Officer. Their on-the-ground work enables the entire process. It ensures every eligible voice can be heard.