GUWAHATI, April 9: Foreign delegates under the International Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP) visited polling stations in Assam on Thursday to observe the voting process in the single-phase Assembly election, including mock polls, security arrangements and the use of election technology.
Officials said the foreign delegates appreciated the voter-friendly facilities at polling stations, such as drinking water, ramps, wheelchairs, and other arrangements-ensuring ease of voting for people from all age groups.
In the city, the delegation visited the polling station set up at Ulubari Higher Secondary School, Ulubari, under 36-Central Guwahati Assembly constituency to witness the festival of democracy.
Notably, as a part of the IEVP, a 15-member delegation comprising representatives from election management bodies of seven countries namely Angola, Egypt, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Benin and Croatia along with three representatives from the Election Commission of India arrived in Guwahati on a two-day visit on Wednesday to observe the ongoing electoral process of the Assam Legislative Assembly elections.
The visit aims to provide international observers with an opportunity to closely witness and understand India’s electoral processes.
The IEVP is designed to showcase the strengths of India’s electoral system to the global community while facilitating the sharing of best practices adopted in the conduct of elections in the world’s largest democracy.
It offers a comprehensive overview of India’s electoral framework, institutional mechanisms, and operational architecture, and familiarizes foreign delegates with innovations in election management.
The programme also highlights the scale, transparency, and robustness of India’s electoral system, while promoting international cooperation and encouraging the exchange of best practices in election management.
Upon arrival at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, the delegation divided into three groups and visited various distribution centres of election materials and control rooms across Kamrup Metropolitan and Kamrup districts to observe ground-level election preparedness.
Subsequently, the delegation visited the webcasting monitoring centre located within the office premises of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Assam.
This was followed by a meeting at the CEO Assam’s office, attended by chief electoral officer, Anurag Goel; state police nodal officer Akhilesh Singh and other senior officials, where the delegation was briefed on various aspects of the electoral process.
