Strong ambassadors of country's youth democracy: Gyaneshwar Kumar

Patna: August 17: (ABN) Election Commission has launched a major initiative to give a new direction to election awareness campaign in Bihar. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar while inaugurating the Electoral Literacy Club (ELC) 2.0 at Gyan Bhawan in Patna termed the youth as the most important pillar of the democratic system and the strong ambassador of the future. He said that the strengthening of democracy is possible not only by holding elections, but by providing voters with accurate and authentic information about the electoral process, protecting them from false information and making them aware for the effective use of their right to vote. On the occasion, he also interacted with the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Nalanda and urged them to work at the ground level for a transparent, effective and inclusive electoral system.
Speaking at the program, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar highlighted the importance of Electoral Literacy Club in detail. He said that awareness towards the electoral process is very important to strengthen the democratic system. ELC 2.0 will provide the relevant individuals and institutions with authentic and reliable information about the electoral process as well as protect them from false and misleading information. He said that this initiative will develop the youth as strong ambassadors of electoral awareness, so that they can promote electoral literacy in their society. Efforts will be made to make educational institutions important centers of democratic partnership through dialogue, debates, practical demonstrations and effective use of technology.
The Chief Election Commissioner while addressing the students present in the program called them the future of Bihar and India and heroes of democracy. He mentioned the historical, cultural and democratic heritage of Bihar, the land of Sita Mata's apparition, the arts of Mathalanchal, the ancient democratic system of Vaishali, Nalanda University and the great cultural heritage of Bihar. He said that India is the largest democracy in the world and there are about 95 crore voters in the country. This number is more than the total electorate of many developed countries. He said that in Lok Sabha general elections, around 18 million personnel are engaged in the electoral process, which is the largest manpower associated with the electoral process in the world.
Gyanesh Kumar said that every work of the Election Commission is done with full transparency as per the Constitution of India, election laws and written instructions issued from time to time. He warned against false and misleading information spread on social media and appealed to the officers to play an active role in preventing the spread of such information. He said that the highest ever voter turnout in the recent assembly elections is proof that Indian voters have full faith in the country's democratic system.
Addressing the program, Bihar Chief Secretary Shri Pratiya Amrit said that Bihar is the first state in the country to successfully implement the SIR process under the guidance of the Chief Election Commissioner. He said that it is a matter of pride for Bihar that Bihar has been chosen to launch ELC 2.0. He assured that Bihar will also implement this program successfully. The Chief Secretary said that about 58 percent of Bihar's population is youth below 25 years of age. In such a situation, it is very important to inform the youth about the importance of the right to vote and their role in the democratic system. He said that elections in a democracy are like a festival, in which every citizen should fulfill his constitutional and democratic responsibility. He called the record of the highest voting percentage since independence in the recent assembly elections a matter of pride. Mentioning the significant participation of women in particular, he said that women took the lead in voting and registered the highest voter turnout. He also said that the last assembly elections were completed peacefully and successfully without any re-polling.
Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar Mr. Vinod Singh Ganjyal appealed to establish Electoral Literacy Club in all educational institutions of the state. He also emphasized the need to highlight ECINet's QR Code on the notice board of institutions. He said that in the near future activities related to electoral literacy should be included in the academic calendar, so that students can be regularly connected to the democratic process.
Earlier during the program held in Nalanda, the Chief Election Commissioner directly interacted with the Booth Level Officers (BLOs). He heard the experiences, difficulties and suggestions related to the work of the BLOs and said that their views are very important in making the electoral process more effective, transparent and participatory. He encouraged the BLOs to work continuously to establish better communication with the voters, maintain the accuracy of the voter list and ensure maximum voter participation in the democratic process.
Speaking to the media after the main program held at Gyan Bhawan, Chief Election Commissioner Mr. Gyanesh Kumar highlighted the effective implementation of ELC 2.0. He appealed to ensure the participation of more people, especially youth and educational institutions to make this program successful. This initiative of connecting electoral literacy with educational institutions through ELC 2.0 is being considered as an important step towards giving a new momentum to democratic awareness in Bihar.