BLOs are cornerstone of India’s democracy: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Lucknow, Aug 25 (IANS) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday interacted with Booth Level Officers (BLOs), terming them “the cornerstone of India’s democracy”.

Meeting reporters after the interaction at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Gomti Nagar here, he praised the dedication and transparency of BLOs, highlighting their crucial role in the electoral process.

“BLOs are the cornerstone of India’s democracy. Every Booth Level Officer is known among the voters at their booth for their transparency and dedication, and is also recognised and respected across India and the world,” the CEC said.

He said the interaction was aimed at understanding the experiences of BLOs and seeking their suggestions.

“The way every BLO works with dedication and hard work is commendable. We came here to interact with them and also take their suggestions,” Gyanesh Kumar said.

Gyanesh Kumar, on Monday, had described India, with approximately 97 crore voters, as “the biggest family in the world”, underlining the enormous scale of the country’s democratic system and election machinery.

Speaking at the regional conference of ELC 2.0 and ECINET here, he also highlighted ECINET as a platform connecting election officials at various levels. He said the app, launched around four to five months ago, is expected to become one of the largest applications in India by the end of this year.

According to a statement issued by the office of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer, Gyanesh Kumar had said that India’s electorate was larger than the combined voter population of several major regions of the world.

“In India, there are approximately 97 crore voters. This figure is not just a statistic; it is significant. If you add the voters of the US, Canada, South America, entire Europe, entire Africa and South-East Asia, even then around eight crore voters are left. You are a part of such a large democracy. This is the biggest family in the world,” he had said.

Gyanesh Kumar also spoke about the massive scale of the Election Commission’s operations during Lok Sabha elections.

“The Government of India, the world’s largest government, employs 65 lakh people, while Walmart, the largest private company, employs around 20 lakh people. During Lok Sabha elections, the ECI becomes the largest organisation on Earth, with 1.8 crore people working alongside it,” he had said.

–IANS

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