The first ever National Voters’ day was celebrated on January 25, 2011 in india. National Voters’ Day marks the foundation of Election Commission of India which was established on January 25, 1950.
National Voters’ day is celebrated on January 25 every year in India. It encourages the voters to take active participation in the political process especially the new voters. This year, the 12th edition of the National Voters’s day is being celebrated.
National Voters’ Day 2022:- History
The first ever National voters’ day was celebrated on January 25, 2011. The then, Prime minister of India Manmohan Singh approved the proposal of Law ministry to this effect.
National Voters’ Day marks the foundation of Election Commission of India which was established on January 25, 1950.
The then, Information and Broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said that by observing the new voters, who have attained the age of 18 years, were showing less interest in getting enrolled in the electoral rolls. In order to effectively deal with this problem, the ECI decided to identify the eligible voters attaining the age of 18 years as of January 1 every year.
National Voters’ Day 2022:- Theme
Every year the ECI decides some theme on this day. The theme of this year’s National Voters’ day is “Making elections inclusive, accessible and participative”, envisages focus on ECI’s commitment to facilitate active participation of voters during the elections and to make the complete process hassle free and a memorable experience for all categories of voters.
On this day, a special national function is held by ECI. This year, Vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu will be the Chief guest for this national function. However, he is unable to physically present on the function due to Covid-positive but his message will be delivered in the virtual mode. The Union minister of Law and Justice, Kiren Rijiju will be the Guest of Honour.
To mark the occasion, National Awards for the Best Electoral Practises for the year 2021-22 will be conferred on State and District level officers for their outstanding performance in the conduct of elections in different spheres such as IT initiatives, Security Management, Election Management, Accessible Elections and contribution in the field of voter awareness and outreach.
The newly enrolled voters would also be felicitated and handed over their Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC). An ECI publications “Leap of Faith: Journey of Indian Elections” and “Pledging to Vote: A decadal Journey of The National Voters’ Day In India” will be released.
A national voter awareness contest on social media- ‘My Vote is my Future- Power of One Vote’ will also be launched to reiterate the importance of every vote through creative expression for the ongoing Assembly Elections 2022.
National Voters’ Day 2022:- Significance
In a democracy, the government is elected by the people of the country. Each and every vote is very essential for electing the government. So, the voters should be aware of their franchise. Democracy means power is vested in the hands of people, not in the hands of any single person. Therefore, National Voters’ day spreads awareness about the rights of the voters.
In India, there are assembly elections coming up in the five states- Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand. During this election time, the importance of National Voters’s day increases even more.