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| National Voters Day – Celebrating the Spirit of Democracy | | | Omkar Dattatray.
India is the largest democracy of the globe and thus elections, votes and voters are important in India. Without elections, democracy cannot be thought of and really democracy is a meaningless proposition sans elections and thus elections are the way of choosing representatives in a democracy and so voters who cast vote to elect their representatives are an inseparable part and parcel of a democracy and we can say that elections are the soul of democracy and a way to elect government of the choice of the voters. Realizing and recognizing the significance and pivotal role of voters, National Voters Day is celebrated annually in India on 25th January to mark the foundation day of Election Commission of India. It is celebrated to encourage the youth to participate in the vote in the electoral process. It not only encourages the youth to participate in the electoral process but also focuses on the fact that the right to vote is a basic right. This year that is in 2026 we are celebrating 15th National Voters Day The main objective behind the celebration is to encourage, facilitate, and maximize enrolment, especially for new voters. It is celebrated every year with a particular theme .It not only encourages the youth to participate in the electoral process but also focuses on the right to vote as the basic right .National Voters Day is observed to honor the day of the foundation of the Election Commission of India in 1950.The objectives of this are to raise awareness of the value of voting in a democracy and promote active engagement in the election process .It underlines how each individual vote can have a significant impact on the future of the country and stresses the importance of voting responsibly ,ethically , and with knowledge .India is a democratic .It was established by the government of India in order to encourage young voters to take part in the elections or political process. India is a democratic country. Every citizen has the basic right to vote. He or she has the right to select his leader to whomever they think is capable of leading the nation, solving the problems of common people, bringing about change etc. National Voters Day is a significant root of India as the future of the country lies in the leader that we choose .Just think once, if we do not come forward to vote the right in favor of the right leader ,then progress and development of the country will be hampered and will also affect the people of the country .Voters Day was first celebrated on 25th January 2011.Since then National Voters Day is celebrated every year with great enthusiasm ,fervor and dedication to democracy .It is pertinent to mention how national voters day came into existence in the country .A meeting of the Union Cabinet ,chaired by Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh ,approved a Law Ministry proposal to pinpoint 25th January as the National Voters Day.
On this day rallies in government campus and educational institutions are organized to throw light on the importance of vote and it the voters are made aware about the importance and value of casting the precious vote .It was appreciated that new voters were reluctant and indifferent to register for voting as voters and thus it is considered the responsibility of the election commission of India, SED’s and deputy commissioners to get the new voters registered and in this connection the role of ECI, SED’s. Thus ECI, SED’s and the district collectors and other departments play their part in making people aware about the importance of vote and of casting precious vote. In a democracy,the citizens have the right to vote, which is one of the fundamental and basic rights of citizens in a democracy. People are made aware about the value and significance of exercising their vote so as to further and thrive democracy .
New voters of the age of 18 years are registered as voters in the electoral rolls and citizens are not only made aware about the significance of exercising their precious vote but new voters are encouraged to get themselves registered so that at the time of polls ,they are in a position to exercise their powerful tool and peaceful weapon of vote which can forms the destiny of the citizens in a democracy. The then information and broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters that 25th January was declared the National Voters Day.
By registering the new voters ,who have attained the age of 18 years ,were showing less interest in getting themselves enrolled as voters in electoral rolls .She said the level of their enrolment was as low as 20 to 25 percent in certain cases .’’In order to ,the effectively deal with this problem ,the Election Commission of India ,has decided to take up a vigorous exercise to identify the eligible voters attaining the age of 18 years as of January first every year in each of the 8.5 lakh polling stations across the country ,’’she said .Such eligible voters should be enrolled on time and handed over their Electoral Photo identity card –EPIC on 25 January every year, Soni said ,adding this initiative is expected to give the youth a sense of empowerment ,pride and inspire them to exercise their franchise. .The, new voters are provided with a badge with logo ‘Proud to be a voter’-Ready to vote’ .The slogan No Voter to be left out has been coined to further emphasize the focus on inclusiveness .The National Awards are being conferred for excellence ,proficiency and innovation in election processes and procedures .These awards recognize contribution by election machinery ,government departments/ agency/PSU’s, CSO,NGO’s and media. The greatest joy is seen at the time of exercising their franchise by the young new voters and it is in fact their vote which gives strength to democracy. On the fourth National Voters Day, a disability activist Satendra Singh’s RTI caught Election Commission of India off –guard when they were found violating Supreme Court orders to enfranchise voters with disability. The ECI of India is a constitutional body established by the Constitution of the Republic of India empowered to conduct free and fair elections in the Republic of India. It is headed by a chief election commissioner and consists of two other election commissioners. Formed on 25th January 1950, that is 75 years ago and at present chief election commissioner is Shir Gyanesh Kumar and two, election commissioners are Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi. Voting in India is done using electronic voting machines-EVM’s and there are provisions for postal voting and special arrangements for the disabled. EVM’s were introduced by the EC to reduce malpractices and improve efficiency. The EVM’s were first used rather trialed in 1982 in the by-election to Paravur assembly constituency in Kerala in a limited number of polling stations .The Republic of India has instituted universal suffrage known as universal adult franchise since independence from the British Raj ,with the adoption of the constitution of India in 1948.Every year we have a theme of the National Voters Day and in 2026,the theme of the National Voters Day is –‘’My India ,My Vote’ with a tagline of ‘’Citizen at the Heart of Indian Democracy.’’
’’This theme carries forward the momentum of last year’s theme, emphasizing the significance of voting as a fundamental right and responsibility. Let us celebrate and observe National Voters Day so that last man in the queue is encouraged to vote and actually votes on the day of voting. Long, live Indian democracy and our voting right.
The author is a columnist, social, KP activist & Freelance Writer |
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