Against the backdrop of the impending Lok Sabha elections, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday urged the people to perform the “sacred act” of voting, emphasising this year’s polls should be seen as a “once-in-a-century moment” that will shape the India of the remainder of the 21st century.
Observing that an election is not just a political exercise, Kovind said it is a collective call to wisdom and a collective call to action. He maintained the ideas and idealism of our democracy will come into force to elect the 17th Lok Sabha. The President said development of the country cannot be completed without a salute to the “spirit of inclusiveness and pluralism which rests on a “tripod of diversity, democracy and development”.
Kovind also pitched for the use of modern technology in elections, saying India’s sheer size and logistics of polls in the country “make it critical” to embrace the latest means.
Kovind’s remarks came both during his address as the chief guest on the occasion of 9th National Voters Day as also his customary address to the nation on the 70th Republic Day.
Ahead of the coming Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission (EC) is reaching out to masses through various modes to increase their participation of electorates., the EC has launched a toll-free number in which sending a text message would let you know your status in the list.
The new facility would provide a hassle-free method for people to know their status as voters in any constituency. This step is expected to be a major relief for voters who would like to know whether everything is correct in the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) before any elections. Now, people will not be required to visit officials to know their names in the electoral roll.
The ECI released ‘My Vote Matters’, a Quarterly Magazine. The first copy was presented to the President.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi too urged the youth to enrol in the voters’ list, saying people’s participation in the electoral exercise strengthens democracy’s foundation. “I urge people from all walks of life to create awareness on voter registration and especially request my young friends to register themselves as voters if they have not done so already. Every vote cast enhances our democratic fabric,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter.
And after CEC Sunil Arora strongly backed the use of EVMs, Union Law and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also favoured its usage, saying there is a need to trust the Election Commission and respect the sanctity of the institution.
“I do not wish to make a political comment. I wish to say it with all respect that the same machine has shown the victory of my party (BJP) and also the defeat of my party. The same machine has shown regional players getting success time and time again,” Prasad said.