local cherries: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the purity of the electoral roll is the cornerstone of democracy and confirmed that no eligible elector was excluded and no ineligible person was included in the final electoral list after the Special Intensified Revision (SIR) process.Kumar led a seven-member team to meet Puducherry officials on Wednesday to review preparations for the 2026 assembly elections in the union territory. Briefing reporters, Kumar outlined the new initiatives to be rolled out in the upcoming elections and said the commission has decided to set up mobile deposit counters at all polling stations and print color photos of candidates on the ballot units on the request of people as they cannot identify the candidates through black and white photos.Voting in Puducherry has been peaceful, fair and transparent with high voter turnout (over 85 per cent) in the past, Kumar said, adding that Puducherry has become a model for elections in other parts of the country. All polling stations (1,099) in Puducherry will be equipped with webcasting facilities, he said. To a query on distribution of freebies even before political parties finalize alliances and announce candidates, Kumar said the commission will curb such malpractices once the model code of conduct comes into effect. “We have issued strict instructions to law enforcement agencies to prevent such malpractices and ensure that the electoral process is free, fair and transparent,” he said.Earlier, Kumar spoke with Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshiinteract with recognized national and state political party representatives and seek their input and input for smooth conduct of polls. The team consists of seven members, including deputy election commissioners Manish Garg, Pawan Kumar Sharma and Sanjay Kumar, and director general Ashish Goyal.
