The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday kicked off the International Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP), which would see 75 delegates from 23 countries traveling to different parts of India to understand the nuances of the Lok Sabha election, the largest democratic exercise in the world till date.
Delegates representing Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and political parties from Russia, Australia, Bangladesh, Chile, Georgia, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, the Philippines, Uganda and Vietnam among other nations are participating in the visitors' programme.
A statemeny by the ECI on Sunday highlighted that members from International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) were also taking part in the official programme, which would conclude on 9 May, two days after the third phase of voting for the seven-phase Indian Lok Sabha election.
After the inaugural address to the delegates by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar in Delhi on Sunday, the delegates split into groups to visit six states — Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh to observe polls and related preparedness in various constituencies.
“The program will familiarise foreign delegates with the nuances of India’s electoral system as well as the best practices in Indian election,” the ECI said in its statement.
The delegates were also briefed on various facets of Indian election, which include Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), various IT related initiatives as well as the role of social media and media.
CEC Highlights Contribution of 'Indian Electoral Space' to the 'World Democratic Space'
During his address to the foreign delegates, India's top polling official emphasised that the "Indian electoral space" contributed significantly to the "world democratic space".
"In terms of process and capacity it generates, what can be legitimately called, democratic surpluses is of a huge significance in the otherwise growing concerns of shrinkage of or decline of democratic spaces worldwide," Kumar said during his address.
He highlighted the uniqueness of the Indian election to foreign delegates, noting that Indian voters neither had to register themselves before voting nor voting was mandatory.
Talking about the magnitude of the largest democratic exercise in the world till date, Kumar noted that 970 million voters would be casting their ballots at 1 million polling booths which would be manned by nearly 15 million officials.