NATIONAL VOTERS DAY
National Voters Day is celebrated on January 25, ever since 2011. The day is celebrated to encourage the youth to enroll in the electoral process. The event is being celebrated for the 12th time this year.
HISTORY
First-ever National Voters’ Day, January 25, 2011, aimed at encouraging more young people to participate in the electoral process. At that time, the Manmohan Singh-led government approved a proposal by the law ministry to that effect.
Ambika Soni, then the minister for information and broadcasting, pointed out at the time that young voters were showing less interest in signing up for the electoral rolls. To counter the trend, the Election Commission launched a nationwide registration drive.
In response to this problem, the Election Commission has decided to create a nationwide effort to identify all eligible voters who reach the age of 18 by January 1 of each year in all polling stations across the country, Soni said. Each year, such voters would be enrolled and given an Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC).
This day is observed to educate people about their right to vote and to spread awareness about the importance of voting in a democracy.
In 2011, it was formally introduced to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India (ECI), an autonomous body that is owned by the Ministry of Law and Justice and aims to ensure fair and free elections in India.
This day is for educating and encouraging young people to vote in elections.
WHY NATIONAL VOTERS DAY IS CELEBRATED ON 25 JANUARY?
The Indian Election Commission was founded on 25 January 1950. At a meeting of the union cabinet held at the government campus in 2011, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accepted the Law Ministry’s proposal to enact 25 Jan as National Voters’ Day.
THEME
“Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible, and Participatory” is the theme for this year’s NVD, which focuses on ECE’s commitment to facilitate active voting during elections and to make the entire process hassle-free and memorable for all voters.
In honor of National Voters’ Day, microblogging platform Koo has released a guide on voter rights and responsibilities, which aims to empower first-time voters to make informed voting choices in five states during the upcoming assembly elections. It highlights the basic rights of the Indian voter enshrined in the Constitution, as well as the responsibilities that voters need to be aware of before and after casting their ballots.
Source: Internet
