Noting the wrestle that nations and folks worldwide have been by to realize democracy, President Ram Nath Kovind, in his deal with on National Voters’ Day on Monday, stated that Indians ought to respect their proper to vote.
Since 2011, National Voters’ Day has been celebrated on January 25 to mark the muse day of the Election Commission of India (EC).
Addressing the occasion nearly, the President stated, “I would like to remind the people that we should always respect the valuable right to vote… The right to vote is not a simple right; people around the world have struggled a lot for this. Since independence, our Constitution has given equal voting rights to all citizens without any discrimination on the basis of merit, religion, race, caste. For this, we are indebted to the makers of our Constitution.”
Kovind additionally hailed the EC’s contribution making certain free and honest elections, even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Outgoing Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora stated the EC would draw on its expertise of conducting the nation’s first election throughout a pandemic in Bihar to arrange for the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry. “We will leverage the experience gained in the Bihar election and ensure that these elections are free, fair, transparent, participative, ethical and safe,” he stated.
At the occasion, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card or e-EPIC. The e-EPIC will probably be obtainable in non-editable safe PDF model and within the first part, between January 25 and January 31, solely new voters who’ve shared their cell quantity will be capable to obtain their digital voter playing cards. From February all voters will be capable to entry their digital voter playing cards, supplied their cell quantity is on the market with the EC.
Prasad lauded the ballot panel’s initiative saying know-how is an enabler and that the EC has used it to empower the voters. He additionally referred to the controversy over the Electronic Voting Machines by declaring that although the BJP received all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi throughout the 2019 basic elections, the occasion solely managed to garner a handful of seats throughout the 2020 Assembly polls, including that EVMs had ensured free and honest elections and that any instrument designed to empower individuals must be welcomed.
On Sunday, Arora had stated that mock trials for distant voting facility for electors would start quickly. He stated a analysis venture on distant voting utilizing cutting-edge know-how has already begun.
“There has been a good progress in this regard and mock trials will begin soon,” Arora had stated, including the ballot panel’s proposal to increase postal poll facility for abroad Indian voters is underneath energetic consideration of the Law Ministry. —(with PTI inputs)
