National Voters’ Day: Themes change, same voting trend
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: January 26, 2022 -

IN the formative years, celebration of National Voters' Day on January 25 every year used to be aimed at encouraging healthy participation of the electorates in the democratic exercise with special emphasis on the newly eligible voters.

This year marks the 11th edition of the event and is centred on the theme of ‘Making Our Voters Empowered, Vigilant, Safe and Informed’.

Compared to the celebration of National Voters’ Day in the recent past considered as a formality to encourage, facilitate and maximise enrolment, especially for the new or first-time voters, the objectives have been evolving towards making the voters responsible and aware that they could collectively bring positive changes if his/her right is exercised judiciously rather than casting their precious votes based on the rhetoric of the vote seekers.

Officially, on this day, select young voters are handed over their Elector Photo Identity Card and encouraged to participate in the electoral process for effecting changes, as and when necessary.

For the record, the Voters' Day celebration was initiated in 2011 by the then President of India, Pratibha Devi Patil, on the 61st foundation day of the Election Commission of India and since then it is being held to raise awareness on the importance of voting, a basic process that helps to form a country's government, and to empower everyone to choose their representatives through voting.

It needs no reminding that voting rights enables people the right to question the government about issues and clarifications, apart from providing a sense of freedom to express an opinion in major decision making for the benefit of the country in a democratic nation.

Importance of voting rights could be comprehended from inspirational quotes from Abraham Lincoln’s: “The ballot is stronger than the bullet”, to contemporary world’s prominent political figures and celebrities consistently exhorting the citizens to use the periodical exercises as a way to move forward and relish the opportunity of applying it as a potent non-violent tool if one wants change rather than yearning for change but remaining silent about things that matter.

In short, the right to vote rings out the message that if one’s voices are to be made heard and prove to the ancestors that their struggles were not in vain, then the eligible franchisees must vote to establish an egalitarian society and remind any regime that everyone matters and deserves to be heard.

From Manipur’s perspective this year's theme ‘Making Our Voters Empowered, Vigilant, Safe and Informed’ assumes great significance as significant number of voters have a tendency to bargain their constitutional rights with candidates capable of making the highest bid.

It’s a fact that the high percentage of votes generally polled in every election held in the state does not necessarily reflect the collective power and vigilance of the mass.

For instance, among others, there is no way an ailing voter would leave the comfort of home and piggy-ride to the polling station if not for some material gains.

As such, it is imperative that the ECI continues to devise strategies and expand its networks to eradicate all ills afflicting the electoral system in order to prevent dilution of value of the informed voters.