Bhubaneswar (Odisha)

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday said that booth-level officers (BLOs) form the backbone of India's electoral machinery, as he began a two-to-three-day visit to Odisha that combines official engagements with outreach to grassroots election functionaries.

"I have come to Odisha with my family to visit the Jagannath temple, to understand and experience the local culture, and also to meet with our booth-level officers, who are the backbone of our election campaign. We will be in Odisha for two to three days," Kumar told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

The CEC's visit underscores the Election Commission of India's focus on strengthening last-mile election management ahead of upcoming state polls across the country. During his stay, Kumar is expected to interact with election officials and BLOs to review preparedness, address operational challenges and reinforce best practices in voter services and roll management.

Earlier on Friday, he met Ina H. Krisnamurthi, Ambassador of Indonesia to India, at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi. An official post by the Election Commission of India on X said the meeting was held in Kumar's capacity as Chief Election Commissioner of India and Chairperson of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

On December 3, Kumar assumed the Chairship of the Council of Member States of International IDEA for the year 2026.

In recent weeks, Kumar has combined official reviews with field-level interactions across states. Last Saturday, he offered prayers at the Bhagyalakshmi Temple in Hyderabad with his family and later met booth-level officers to discuss measures for strengthening the electoral process and improving efficiency. He also visited the Srisailam Devasthanam and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

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Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India continues preparatory work for the 2026 Assembly elections. On December 19, the ECI released the draft electoral roll for Tamil Nadu after collecting over 5.43 crore voter enumeration forms. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on February 2, 2026, following a Special Intensive Revision exercise conducted nearly five months ahead of the polls.