New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar asked the poll panel’s officials to be non-adversarial even as he held discussions with the legal team to reorient them for tackling emerging challenges, an official said on Saturday.

The day-long conference provided a vital platform for dialogue and exchange between the Commission and prominent legal professionals from across the country, the official said.

Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi were also present at the inauguration of the National Conference of Counsels, representing the Election Commission of India in Delhi.

Senior advocates from the Supreme Court and 28 High Courts, along with officials and 36 CEOs of all States/UTs, participated in the conference.

“This initiative is aimed at strengthening and reorienting the legal framework of the Commission to meet emerging challenges more effectively, by achieving synergy. The conference laid emphasis on being non-adversarial and to offer ample opportunities for hearing,” said an official statement.

EC’s Deputy Director P. Pawan said, “The day-long conference provided a vital platform for dialogue and exchange between the Commission and prominent legal professionals from across the country.”

“The strategic engagement marks a significant step by the Election Commission in aligning its legal resources with the dynamic landscape of electoral jurisprudence in India,” he said.

The discussions focused on enhancing the preparedness, efficiency, and coordination of the Commission’s legal team, with particular emphasis on issues related to election law, judicial proceedings, and legal reforms. Through this interaction, the Commission sought to reinforce the effectiveness of its legal representation across various judicial forums, he said.

On Friday, the EC held a conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to firm up and devise a roadmap for the IT initiatives.

The EC has already incubated a new initiative in 2025 to design and develop an Integrated Dashboard, ECINET, to provide a single-window access to all the relevant data, within the ambit of requisite legal provisions, required by all its stakeholders.

–IANS

rch/uk