New Delhi [India], April 1 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) has concluded its largest-ever engagement drive with political parties, conducting 4,719 meetings nationwide at the levels of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), District Election Officers (DEOs), and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) as of March 31, the apex poll body said.

According to a ECI release, these meetings, held over 25 days, included 40 by CEOs, 800 by DEOs, and 3,879 by EROs, engaging over 28,000 representatives from political parties across the country.

The meetings were held in accordance with directives issued by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, during the CEOs' conference held between March 4-5 this year at India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in the national capital.

The nationwide meeting across these levels aimed at addressing the pending issues within the legal framework of the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, and ECI guidelines.

State and Union Territory CEOs have been asked to submit action-taken reports, with unresolved issues to be escalated to the Commission for further review, the release said.

The ECI's outreach has been widely appreciated, witnessing enthusiastic participation from political parties across assembly constituencies, districts, and states/UTs. Visuals from these meetings are available on the ECI's official social media handle.

Earlier in the last week of March, under the newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, has put the entire election machinery right up to the BLO level on a path firmly on course for promoting participation of all electors and ensuring a pleasant experience for them at the polling stations.

According to a release, the Commission reaffirms that the nearly 100 crore electors always stand as the pillar of democracy. (ANI)