Representatives from 17 countries will witness West Bengal, Tamil Nadu polls under ECI project

New Delhi: Representatives from 17 countries, including representatives of foreign missions in Delhi, will witness voting in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Thursday as part of the Election Commission’s International Election Visitors Program (IEVP) 2026.This is the second leg of the programme; in the first phase, 43 representatives from 23 countries experienced the voting process first-hand on April 8-9 in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry.Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday inaugurated the second edition of IEVP at the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM), India. 34 representatives from 17 countries, including representatives from diplomatic missions in China and representatives from International IDEA, participated in this stage of the event.The delegation will visit Tamil Nadu and West Bengal from April 22 to 23, 2026. They will visit the dispatch and distribution center and other facilities, including the regional control room and media monitoring centre. On the morning of April 23, delegates will witness the voting take place.On Tuesday, delegates conducted an EVM demonstration at IIIDEM. They participated in mock voting using machines and experienced the voting process firsthand. International visitors showed keen interest in technical intervention and administrative safeguards in India’s electoral process. During the interactive session, the experts clarified the doubts/queries of the delegates.IEVP is ECI’s flagship program aimed at international cooperation and engagement with Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) of other countries and international organizations.The program provides a comprehensive overview of India’s electoral framework, institutional mechanisms and operational structure, besides acquainting foreign EMB representatives with best practices and innovations in election administration.