CEO holds meeting with political parties on Jubilee Hills by-election

Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy held a meeting with political parties ahead of the Jubilee Hills by-election. New reforms include candidate photos on EVMs, voter caps, AI-based monitoring, additional women polling personnel, and real-time turnout tracking

Hyderabad: With the Central Election Commission (CEC) announcing the schedule for Jubilee Hills by-election, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C Sudharshan Reddy convened a meeting with representatives of various political parties here on Tuesday.

Representatives from major political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), participated in the meeting. During the meeting, the CEO stated that the upcoming by-election would be conducted under the new electoral reforms introduced by the CEC. The reforms aim to enhance voter convenience, transparency, and efficiency in the conduct of elections. These reforms are being rolled out for the first time during the Bihar Assembly elections and the by-elections to eight Assembly constituencies in different States.

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Affixing colour photographs of contesting candidates on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and ballot units to help voters easily identify their preferred candidates. As part of the new reforms, capping the number of voters per polling station is 1,200 to reduce overcrowding and improve voter experience. Deployment of additional women polling personnel to encourage greater participation of women voters. Real-time voter turnout monitoring through digital dashboards and mobile apps for transparent information flow.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based surveillance and GPS-enabled monitoring for sensitive polling stations to prevent malpractice are among the new reforms being introduced.

The CEO reviewed the preparedness of various departments to ensure the conduct of free, fair, inclusive, and peaceful elections. He appealed to all political parties to extend full cooperation and strictly adhere to the Model Code of Conduct.