New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra led a three-member delegation to Uzbekistan from October 21 to October 25 to observe the conduct of the Presidential Election as an International Observed, informed the Election Commission of India.
CEC Chandra was invited by Zainiddin M Nizamkhodjaev, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan to observe the elections conducted under the new election code in Uzbekistan on October 24, said a statement issued by the Poll panel.
The two heads of their respective country’s election commissions also held a bilateral meeting on electoral cooperation on October 21, it added.
Nizamkhodjaev brief Chandra about the various measures taken for the conduct of this election including single electronic voters’ list, arrangements for in-person voting on the poll day and early voting as well as Covid safety arrangements.
Further, Chandra spoke about the recent conduct of elections in India and various avenues for further strengthening electoral ties between the two countries through the signing of MoU on electoral cooperation and training and capacity building programs which ECI would be happy to organize for Uzbekistan election officials, says the press release.
The EC stated that the Indian delegation visited the 7th and 14th District Election Commissions to obtain an overview of the electoral administration, procedures and initiatives of the CEC of Uzbekistan.
Thereafter, they visited polling stations in Uzbekistan in order to observe the election process in detail. Various aspects of the conduct of elections including voter lists, identification of voters, early voting mechanisms, arrangements for facilitation of the elderly and persons with disabilities, Covid safety protocols, polling station readiness, and casting of vote by ballot paper were observed across different polling stations, said EC.
Sushil Chandra also interacted with the officials of the Indian Embassy led by the Ambassador of India to Uzbekistan, Manish Prabhat and briefed them about the Electronic Transfer of Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) facilities for voting by service voters. This was followed by a very active and vibrant interaction in Indian elections with the representatives of Non-Resident Indian community based in Tashkent.
