Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar today said that the Election Commission of India has to pass through trial by fire even though the electorate trusts the election results.

Kumar said the results are accepted after every election and the transfer of power has been consistently conducted through the ballot in a smooth manner.

His response came when asked if the people of Karnataka can trust the poll body for free and fair elections.

He said that the Election Commission of India has just completed its 400th state assembly election by organizing recent polls in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. Additionally, the commission has held 17 parliamentary elections and 16 Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections.

"In the last 70 years, India has stabilised its social, cultural, political, geographical, economic, and linguistic issues peacefully and through dialogue mainly because of established democracy which is possible only because people trust election results. Still, ECI gives 'agni pariskha' every time after each election," Kumar was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and his team visited Karnataka for a three-day tour to assess the readiness for the upcoming Assembly polls, as the term of the 225-member Karnataka Assembly is set to end on May 24.

The polls for 224 seats are anticipated to be held in early May, with one MLA from the Anglo-Indian community being nominated.