Raipur, September 2026/Chhattisgarh State Election Commissioner, Mr. Ajay Singh, informed that the 32nd conference of State Election Commissioners, held annually in different states, is being held this year on September 16-17 in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, the capital of Chhattisgarh. This conference is being organized by the Chhattisgarh State Election Commission.

The conference was inaugurated today by the Honorable Governor. Present at the inauguration were the Election Commissioner of host Chhattisgarh, Mr. Ajay Singh, Chairman of the Standing Committee of State Election Commissioners, Mr. Vijay Dev, Convener, Mr. Sudhanshu Pandey, and the State Chief Secretary, Mr. Vikassheel. On this special occasion of the inauguration, Governor Mr. Ramen Deka also released the first edition of the Chhattisgarh Local Body Election Yearbook 2026.

After the inauguration, the State Election Commissioners from various states across the country, who had come to the conference today, discussed various aspects of elections to make local democracy, especially the three-tier Panchayats and urban bodies, more empowered, transparent, inclusive, reliable and participatory and presentations were given by the State Election Commissioners and subject experts from different states in the conference.

During the conference, in order to share the challenges, experiences and innovations faced by the State Election Commissioners in conducting the local body elections, a presentation prepared by the State of Chhattisgarh on the topic “Progress of local democracy in Naxal-affected Bastar in the last 25 years after the formation of the State” under the direction of Chhattisgarh State Election Commissioner Mr. Ajay Singh was presented by the Secretary of the Commission, Mrs. Shikha Rajput Tiwari.

The journey of local democracy in Bastar was particularly highlighted. Conducting local elections in the Bastar division, characterized by geographical inaccessibility, extensive forest cover, limited communication facilities, and prolonged left-wing extremism, has posed a significant administrative and democratic challenge. Sharing experiences with local body elections in Chhattisgarh, it was stated that the coordinated efforts of the administration, police, security forces, election personnel, and the local community have consistently strengthened the democratic process. It was noted that in 2025, simultaneous elections for urban bodies and three-tier Panchayats will be conducted peacefully and successfully across the state, including in the Bastar division, eliminating the need for re-polls.

Presentations were given by Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Kerala on the topics of use of Information Technology, namely, 'EVM sharing tracking policy and its challenges and EMS SOFTWARE', 'Panchayat Delimitation 2026: Transforming Delimitation through Technology A New Era of Paperless Delimitation', 'Digitising Elections in India', 'Re-engineering elections in the Digital Era: The Kerala Story'.

An international level subject expert from Princeton University, New Jersey, USA, related to the subject of democratic elections, also participated in the conference and presented a summary of comparative and integrated study of local elections held in the states of India through a presentation. Subject experts on electronic voting machines from public sector undertakings Electronic Corporation of India, Hyderabad and Bharat Electronics Limited, Bengaluru, also presented updated information about their institutions in the conference and told that the electronic voting machine used in elections is safe in every way and by continuously innovating in it, it is being developed and produced as per the requirements of the State Election Commissions.