New Delhi, June 12: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday organised a one-day conference for Media and Communication Officers, bringing together Media Nodal Officers (MNOs), Social Media Nodal Officers (SMNOs), and District Media Nodal Officers from across the country to strengthen election-related communication and public outreach.
The conference witnessed the participation of over 350 officers from all 36 States and Union Territories, including representatives from states where Phase-III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is underway and poll-bound states.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, addressed the participants during the programme. The CEC highlighted the unprecedented level of public participation witnessed in the recently concluded elections in five states and stressed the importance of timely, simple and fact-based communication rooted in law.
Election Commissioner Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu emphasised that communication efforts should focus on impact rather than merely on inputs, while Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi underlined the crucial role of officers in ensuring that the Commission’s rules, instructions and guidelines reach the public in an easily understandable format.
The conference featured sessions on communication strategies throughout the election cycle, including electoral roll management, polling processes, ECINET, constitutional provisions, election laws, recent court orders, media engagement, social media outreach, tackling misinformation, and voter awareness initiatives targeting young electors through Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs).
Officials from states that recently conducted elections also shared their experiences and best practices, while an interactive question-and-answer session with the Election Commission leadership provided participants an opportunity to discuss key communication challenges and strategies.
The Election Commission said the conference aimed to strengthen coordination among media and communication officers and enhance public awareness efforts to ensure informed participation in the electoral process.
