The National Round Table Conference of the Election Commission of India and State Election Commissioners concluded in New Delhi with the unanimous adoption of the National Declaration 2026. The declaration said the preparation of pure electoral rolls is the bedrock of democracy, and the transparent conduct of elections in an efficient manner strengthens democracy. It said, in the national and constitutional interest, the Commission suggested working out mutually acceptable mechanisms and legally viable frameworks to synergise with all State Election Commissioners across the country for all possible election processes, including the sharing of ECINET, EVMs, Electoral Rolls and the world-class Infrastructure at IIIDEM. It said ECI and SECs will work together to synergise the laws relating to the elections to the panchayats and municipal Bodies with those relating to the elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures.

The ECI also requested the SECs to come forward and participate in international engagements of the ECI and proposed to hold such a National Round Table Conference with the ECI once every year, preferably along with the international conferences being chaired by the ECI. The Poll Body said that all suggestions given by SECs in this National Round Table Conference will be studied in detail by a joint team of legal and technical officers led by concerned DECs of ECI. A state- and UT-wise way forward will be submitted to the Election Commission of India in the next three months for the best possible decision in the national interest.

Earlier today, in his address, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar emphasised pure electoral rolls, saying that the Special Intensive Revision exercise was started to include all the eligible electors in the electoral rolls, while ineligible electors should be excluded from it. He said that currently SIR is underway in 12 States, and out of them, 11 States have published their electoral rolls. Mr Kumar also said that the time has now come to have much-needed synergies between ECI and State Election Commissions.

The Round Table Conference is being held after a gap of 27 years. The last such Conference was held in the year 1999.