New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday commenced a one-day workshop for the media and communication officers, in its bid to establish an effective communication strategy at the grassroots level.

The one-day workshop, organised in the national capital, is aimed at educating and training the media and communication officers at the respective Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) offices in all 28 states and 8 Union Territories, to take forward the poll panel’s message to the electorate and help them differentiate between political narratives and factual information.

The one-day workshop was inaugurated by CEC Gyanesh Kumar in the presence of ECs Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The move assumes significance as this comes ahead of poll season, and at a time when the communication space remains saddled with challenges of fake news, misinformation campaigns and AI-inspired videos. With Bihar elections slated towards 2025 end and crucial states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam going to polls next year, the electoral arena remains packed with activity.

Congress’s ‘vote chori’ charge and frontal attack on the poll panel have only aggravated the situation, putting the latter in a state of fix. The workshop is part of EC’s broader plan to curtail the ‘mis-formation campaign’ by political parties and also to counter ‘motivated’ narratives.

The poll panel is also focusing on developing an effective communication strategy to disseminate information, counter misinformation and fake narratives while also promoting voter awareness via various channels, including social media. And, arming its media and communication wing with an effective strategy will go a long way in countering the negative propaganda, the poll body believes.

Notably, the EC has often acknowledged and appreciated the role of media in facilitating the smooth conduct of electoral processes in a digitised world like today’s.

Also, the voters stand to benefit from fair and transparent reportage, as this cements their trust in the electoral process while they also get empowered to distinguish between facts and narratives.

–IANS

mr/dan