In a significant move to safeguard electoral integrity in the digital age, the Election Commission of India (ECI) hosted a one-day Conference on 3rd July 2026 for Media and Communication Officers at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi.
The conference aims to facilitate experience sharing and dissemination of best practices among States/UTs, strengthen media engagement and voter outreach, enhance misinformation management, and promote effective implementation of voter awareness activities, ELC initiatives, and election related- communication.
The conference brought together officers, including Media Nodal Officers (MNOs), Social Media Nodal Officers (SMNOs), District Media Nodal Officers, and senior officers from State Departments of Public Relations (DPRs) from 16 States and Union Territories. A 9-member delegation from Nagaland, comprising 2 officials from the CEO office and 7 officials from the IPR Department attended the conference.
A primary focus was training officers to identify and counter "fake news," deepfakes, and misleading narratives that threaten voter trust. Officers were briefed on managing digital platforms and ensuring transparent political advertising, addressing concerns like AI-generated synthetic media.The sessions covered the entire election cycle—"from roll to poll"—educating officials on legal provisions, recent court orders, "Know the ECINET Platform" and the effective use of social media for voter outreach.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar emphasized that each and every action of the commission is based on the Constitution of India, Electoral laws and written instructions issued from time to time in a transparent manner. Cautioning the officials regarding false narratives propagated on social media, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said the officials need to engage proactively to prevent the spread of misinformation. He added that the highest ever voter turnouts in the recent assembly elections are a proof of the trust that the Indian electors have in the country's electoral system.
Addressing the participants, Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi, said that in today’s digital world, AI, Deepfakes, synthetic content with an intent to mislead and even mischievous content are spread by motivated actors to erode trust in institutions. Dr. Joshi urged the Media and Communication Officers to counter such attempts based on the rules, instructions and guidelines of the Commission. He also called upon engaging young voters through Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs).
With several state assembly elections on the horizon, this conference underscores the ECI's commitment to ensuring that the "information ecosystem" remains as free and fair as the voting process itself. By empowering state-level officers with advanced communication tools, the Commission aims to build a resilient defense against the growing challenge of digital disinformation.
(Zuchumo Kithan, IA Mokokchung)
