200 officers from 10 states attend ECI’s third media, communication conference

The Election Commission of India (ECI) organised its Third One-Day Conference for Media and Communication Officers, drawing around 200 participants from 10 States and Union Territories. Attendees included Media Nodal Officers, Social Media Nodal Officers, District Media Nodal Officers, District PROs and senior officers from State Departments of Public Relations.

Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi addressed the gathering. CEC Kumar said the Commission’s every action is based on the Constitution of India, electoral laws and transparent written instructions, and cautioned officials about false narratives spreading on social media, calling for proactive engagement to prevent misinformation. He cited record voter turnout in recent Assembly Elections as a sign of public trust in the electoral system.

Dr. Joshi flagged the growing use of AI, deepfakes and synthetic content by motivated actors seeking to mislead the public and erode institutional trust, urging officers to counter such content per the Commission’s guidelines.

The day included sessions on communication strategy across the election cycle, ECINET, and media-related laws, along with practical training on press note planning, misinformation response, and voter engagement through Electoral Literacy Clubs. Participants also observed demonstrations of electoral roll preparation, polling and counting processes before a Q&A session with the Commission.