Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan has said that since the announcement of Lok Sabha elections and implementation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC), a total of 1668 permissions of various types have been issued to political parties and candidates through the Suvidha Portal.

Suvidha Portal is a technical mechanism developed by the Election Commission of India to uphold the democratic principles of free, fair and transparent elections and ensure equal opportunity to all. The Suvidha Portal has highly streamlined the process of receiving and processing applications for permissions and facilities from political parties and candidates during the election period.

Given the importance of the election period, where parties and candidates engage in regular activities to reach out to the voters, the Suvidha portal facilitates speedy redressal of various types of permission applications transparently on the principle of “First In First Out”. Through this portal, permission is also given to organize rallies, open temporary party offices, door-to-door campaigning, distribution of pamphlets including video vans, helicopters, vehicle permits.

Suvidha Portal

Political parties and candidates can submit permission applications online through the Suvidha Portal (https://suvidha.eci.gov.in) anytime, anywhere. Additionally, the option of offline submission is also available to ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders. The facility also has a supporting app, which enables applicants to track the status of their applications in real time. This brings more convenience and transparency to the process. This app is available on iOS and Android platforms.

The Suvidha platform not only increases the efficiency of the election process but also ensures transparency by tracking the timelines of disposal of applications, providing status updates and communication through SMS. Apart from this, the permissions data available on this portal also serves as a valuable resource for checking election expenditure.