Guwahati, April 8 A foreign delegation arrived here on Wednesday for a two-day visit to witness the Assam Assembly elections as part of the Election Commission's International Election Visitors' Programme (IEVP), officials said.
Polling in Assam will take place on Thursday.
The 15-member delegation comprised representatives from the election management bodies of Angola, Egypt, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Benin, and Croatia, as well as three representatives from the Election Commission of India.
IEVP-2026 was inaugurated a day ago by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The visit aims to provide international observers with an opportunity to witness and understand India's electoral processes.
After arriving in the state, the delegation was divided into three groups, with each visiting distribution centers and control rooms across the Kamrup Metropolitan and Kamrup districts to observe ground-level election preparedness.
They later visited the Webcasting Monitoring Centre located within the office premises of the state's Chief Electoral Officer.
A meeting was also held with Chief Electoral Officer, Anurag Goel, State Police Nodal Officer Akhilesh Singh, and other senior officials, who briefed the delegation about various aspects of the electoral process.
The delegates will visit polling stations in the Kamrup Metropolitan and Kamrup districts on Thursday to observe the voting process, including mock polls, security arrangements, and the use of election technology.
The IEVP is designed to showcase the strengths of India's electoral system to the global community while facilitating the sharing of best practices adopted in conducting elections in the world's largest democracy.
It offers a comprehensive overview of India's electoral framework and institutional mechanisms, familiarizing foreign delegates with innovations in election management.