Training activities are set to begin soon for election officials in the State as part of preparing the ground for the smooth conduct of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
A decision has been finalised to create a pool of State-level and district-level master trainers as part of equipping election officials with the requisite know-how on a range of poll-related topics.
An updated Election Planner issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) requires training activities to be carried out well in advance. On the basis of a direction issued by the ECI to Chief Electoral Officers (CEO) of States, 26 government officials have been nominated as State-level master trainers on topics listed under five separate ‘themes.’ These State-level master trainers will be trained by ECI at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi, a senior election official said.
Theme 1 covers qualification and disqualification, nomination, scrutiny of nomination, withdrawal of candidature and allotment of symbols. Theme 2 covers district election management plan, vulnerability mapping, poll-day arrangements and postal ballot. Theme 3 deals with the Model Code of Conduct and the monitoring of the election spending by candidates and political parties. Electoral rolls, the electoral data processing software, Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) is covered under theme 4. Theme 5 deals with the electronic voting machines (EVM), VVPAT machines (Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail), and the counting and declaration of results.
The State-level master trainers would impart training to district-level trainers, who, in turn, will coach assembly (constituency)-level trainers, according to a May 15 order issued by the Election Department in connection with the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The latest electoral roll for the State, published by the CEO’s office in January following a special summary revision, had 2,67,95,581 voters, including 1,38,26,149 women, 1,29,69,158 men, and 274 transgender voters.
