The Election Commission of India (ECI) organised a one-day Conference for Media and Communication Officers at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi, on June 12.
The programme brought together over 350 Media Nodal Officers (MNOs), Social Media Nodal Officers (SMNOs), and District Media Nodal Officers/District Public Relations Officers (PROs) from all 36 States and Union Territories, including poll-bound states and states where Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision is underway.
From Nagaland, 12 officials from the Department of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) Office and the district administration attended the conference under the leadership of Deputy CEO Alila Chang.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, addressed the participants. The Chief Election Commissioner emphasised the importance of timely, clear and fact-based communication, while the Election Commissioners highlighted the need for impactful communication and the effective dissemination of the Commission’s rules, guidelines and initiatives.
The conference featured sessions on communication strategies across the electoral cycle, media engagement, social media outreach, tackling misinformation, voter awareness initiatives, and recent constitutional and legal developments.
The event also provided a platform for sharing experiences and disseminating best practices from states that recently conducted elections. The conference concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner.