Guwahati: Foreign delegates from the International Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP) visited several polling stations in Assam on Thursday, April 9, to review the single-phase Assembly elections, including mock voting, security setups, and electronic voting arrangements.
Election officials reported that the delegates commended voter-friendly arrangements, including accessible ramps, wheelchairs, and drinking water, ensuring smooth voting for everyone.
In Guwahati, the group visited the Ulubari Higher Secondary School polling station under the 36-Central Guwahati Assembly seat to watch the voting process in action.
The 15-member IEVP team included representatives from the electoral authorities of seven countries, Angola, Egypt, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Benin, and Croatia, along with three officials from the Election Commission of India. They arrived in Guwahati on Wednesday for a two-day observation mission.
The visit aimed to give international observers a practical understanding of India’s voting system and the overall election process in the world’s largest democracy.
The programme allowed delegates to study India’s election management structure, operational procedures, and recent technological innovations.
It also demonstrated the scale, transparency, and efficiency of Indian elections, while promoting international cooperation and exchanging ideas for election best practices.
After landing at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, the delegation formed three teams to review election material hubs and control rooms in Kamrup Metropolitan and Kamrup, assessing local readiness.
Next, they visited the CEO Assam’s office to inspect the webcasting monitoring centre.
The programme ended with a session at the CEO’s office, where officials, including Anurag Goel and Akhilesh Singh, outlined election procedures and logistics to the visiting delegates.