Voters festival at Tseminyu, Noklak, promotes youth participation in elections

DIMAPUR — A Youth Voters Festival, themed ‘your vote, your voice’, was held on Monday at Tseminyu town to encourage maximum youth participation in upcoming elections, the summary revision of the photo electoral roll, and the general election to the Lok Sabha in 2024.

The event was organised by the office of the DC and DEO, Tseminyu, in collaboration with the department of Social Welfare and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.

According to a DIPR report, students from both government and private schools and colleges of Tseminyu district, from classes 8 and above, participated in various competitions, each aligned with specific categories—best presentation on Naga traditional attire for classes 8, 9, and 10 and poetry recitation on the festival’s theme for classes 11 and 12 and above

The festival provided an opportunity for students to demonstrate their creativity, knowledge, and appreciation of Naga culture, as well as the importance of voting in a democratic society.

During the event, Runohile Keppen, systematic voters’ education and electoral participation (SVEEP) campus ambassador, and Christine Tsela, SVEEP district icon, felicitated the female participants of the ‘Girls’ Campaign 2023’ under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative.

The programme was chaired by RuokuosetuoTetso, EAC (Hq.) Tseminyu, and concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Kemciyile, SDO (Civil) Tseminyu, expressing gratitude to all participants and organisers for their participation and efforts in promoting youth engagement in the democratic process.

Dr. Tinojongshi Chang, DC Tseminyu, was also present at the event.

Noklak: The Youth Voters Festival was organised at Noklak by the office of the DC and DEO Noklak in collaboration with the district hub for empowerment of women, Noklak, under SVEEP and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.

The event, held on October 7 at St. Paul School Noklak, aimed to inspire and educate the youth about their critical role in the democratic process.

SDO (Civil) Noklak, Vikhoto Richa, speaking on the occasion, emphasised the significance of the Youth Voters Festival, an initiative by the Election Commission of India (ECI), and stressed its purpose in empowering young citizens to take responsibility and create change through their votes.

Richa encouraged eligible voters to contact their respective booth-level officers (BLOs) to ensure that they are registered as voters and also explained the voting procedures, highlighting further that the event marked the first-ever involvement of inter-school competitions under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative.

Chongphe Khiamniungan, campus ambassador of GHSS Noklak, talked in his speech about the importance of voting as a fundamental right granted to all Indian citizens regardless of their background, mentioned that voting is a powerful way for every individual to make their voices heard in the democratic process, and encouraged her fellow students to participate in it.

Students participated in a variety of competitive activities as part of the festival, including a penalty shootout, arm wrestling, face painting, an obstacle race, and more.

Kathyinla, EAC Noklak, presided over the programme, which included a special performance by St. Paul School, Noklak, while the vote of thanks was delivered by Sentimeren Ao, assistant programmer, expressing gratitude to all participants and organisers for their valuable contributions to the event’s success.

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