New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) Describing elections in India as festivals of democracy, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday inaugurated the International Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP), 2026, paving the way for foreign delegates to learn from the upcoming Assembly elections in five States/UTs.

Under the IEVP, 43 delegates from 23 countries, including representatives from five Foreign Missions in Delhi, will be participating in the first phase of the programme and visit Assam, Kerala and Puducherry on April 8-9, said a statement.

Inaugurating the IEVP at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that in the second phase, the delegates will visit West Bengal and Tamil Nadu from April 20 onwards.

Flanked by Election Commissioners Dr S.S. Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said the ECI takes elections in India as festivals of democracy and works towards ensuring it in a mission mode.

He also called upon the IEVP participants to enjoy the visit to the states, learn, see and experience the diversity of India.

The delegates were given a demonstration of the EVM at IIIDEM on Tuesday, and they took part in the mock poll using the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to get a hands-on experience of the voting process, the statement said.

The delegates evinced keen interest in the technological interventions and administrative safeguards in the election process in India and had an interactive session with the experts, clarifying their doubts/queries, it said.

The delegates will be travelling to Assam, Kerala and Puducherry (Union Territory) on Wednesday.

They will visit the dispatch and distribution centres and other facilities, including the District Control Rooms and the Media Monitoring Centres and witness the actual polling in the morning of April 9, said the statement.

The IEVP is a flagship programme of the ECI for international cooperation and engagement with the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of other countries and International Organisations, said the statement.

The IEVP provides a comprehensive overview of India’s electoral framework, institutional mechanisms, and operational architecture, while familiarising foreign EMB delegates with best practices and innovations in election management, it said.

The IEVP showcases the strengths of India’s electoral system to the international community, sharing the best practices adopted in the world’s largest democracy for the conduct of elections, it said.

–IANS

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