National Voters' Day: With power comes responsibility

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Jan. 25 (EMN): The eleventh National Voters' Day was celebrated throughout Nagaland on the theme ‘making our voters empowered, vigilant, safe and informed’ to mark the foundation day of Election Commission, on January 25.

The occasion was celebrated in all the district headquarters, sub-divisions and polling stations by facilitating newly registered voters and recognising officials who rendered exemplary service during elections or management of electoral roll.

Speaking during the programme held at Capital Convention Centre in Kohima, the chief electoral officer of Nagaland, Abhijit Sinha, said that the Election Commission of India plays a fundamental and decisive role in organising the elections and getting it conducted in a free and fair manner.

He said that National Voters' Day is celebrated to encourage more voters to get enrolled and take part in the electoral process. It is also a day to celebrate the right to vote and the vibrant and beautiful democracy of the nation.

He appealed to all eligible citizens to exercise their right without fear, intimidation and inducement. He also urged voters to be always vigilant against any kind of electoral malpractices, be fully literate about the electoral processes, aware of the manifestoes and programmes of the candidates in any election, to be able to make informed decisions during the elections.

Voters also urged to follow all current health safety protocols to ensure safe elections. On the 11th National Voters' Day, let every citizen take an earnest pledge to rededicate oneself with full earnestness for a greater participation in the electoral process for a stronger and more vibrant democracy, he said.

Nagaland Chief Secretary J Alam, in his address, said that there are number of rights and safeguards which people actually take for granted. ‘But if we reflect on it, we realise our visionary leaders at that time of deciding has to decide who shall be able to vote in this country’.

‘The idea of implementing the universal adult suffrage in India is not automatic but there is a lot of thought behind it. There are many countries where specific groups are not allowed to vote. In some places, poor people or black people are not allowed to vote. But those things are not there in this country. Everybody, whose age is 18 years and above are eligible to vote,’ he said.

When the voting age is kept at 18 years of age, it means there is more power in the hands of the young people and with power comes responsibility. Therefore, the young people of the country should be encouraged to participate more actively in the democratic process, he said.

Alam, who also served as CEO, Nagaland from 2010 to 2013, remembered the workers who silently work behind the scene to facilitate the process of registering everybody and making them eligible to vote in various elections. The booth-level officers, election and security personnel etc, are all contributing towards free and fair and transparent election—the cornerstone of a functioning robust democracy, he said.

‘It is not an easy task to ensure free and smooth election. For this, the entire polling machineries and personnel deserve praises from the people,’ he added.

‘Over the years, in the state as well as in whole country, there has been improvement in the process of elections. ‘Good things’ had happened in the last 70 years. People above 50 years will remember that the elections in the 80s or early 90s were quite different from now,’ the chief secretary said.

“We have very smooth election process at present. That kind of fear, intimidation, and all kinds of malpractices that used to be there earlier are not there now”. There has been a ‘huge improvement’ which itself is a ‘great achievement’, he added.

Speaking about the slogan for this year, he said that voters should be empowered; they should not have any fear to come to the polling station and registration process should be hassle-free. 

Awards were given to the state and district-level ‘best booth-level officer’ and ‘best campus ambassador’. The CEO had earlier given awy EPICS & NVD badges to 10 new voters in Kohima district while the chief secretary released a book titled ‘A glimpse of systematic voters education & electoral participation (SVEEP) activities in Nagaland’. He also administered NVD pledge.