Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, who is set to demit office on April 13, said on Monday the Election Commission was among the finest institutions in the country and “almost like a place of pilgrimage”.
Mr. Arora was addressing day one of the EC’s two-day international virtual election visitors programme for election officials from other countries. The programme includes virtual visits to five polling stations — one each in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal — during polling on Tuesday for 110 delegates from 26 countries.
Mr. Arora said he always had great respect for the Commission as an average voter.
“But over the years, having worked here for so many years and having been associated with so many State elections, including the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, I can say this is one of the finest institutions in the country, very intact, very robust, very transparent…And, it’s almost like a place of pilgrimage,” he said, while acknowledging the contribution of poll officials.