ECI | 10th National Voters’ Day celebrated to mark Foundation Day of ECI

PIB News Update: Hon’ble President of India Sh. Ram Nath Kovind will be the Chief Guest at the 10th National Voters’ Day being organized by Election Commission of India on 25th January 2020 at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt. Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology shall also grace the national function. This year marks an important milestone in the history of Indian democracy as Election Commission of India (ECI) completes 70 years of its journey.

The National Voters’ Day (NVD) has been celebrated on January 25 every year since 2011, all across the country at over ten lakh locations across the nation, that include polling stations areas, sub divisions, divisions, district and state headquarters, to mark the Foundation day of Election Commission of India, which was established on 25th January 1950.The main purpose of the NVD celebration is to encourage, facilitate and maximize the enrolment, especially for the new voters. Dedicated to the voters of the country, the Day is utilized to spread awareness among voters for promoting informed participation in the electoral process. New Voters are felicitated and handed over their Elector Photo Identity Card in the NVD function.

Belief in the Ballot-2, an anthology of 101 human stories from across the nation about Indian elections, developed in collaboration with the Publication Division will be launched on the occasion and the first copy shall be presented by the Commission to the Hon’ble President.

‘The Centenarian Voters: Sentinels of Democracy’ with 51 stories of veteran voters across the nation who braved difficult terrain, poor health and other challenges to come out and vote will be launched on the occasion by the Hon’ble President.

The National Awards for the Best Electoral Practices shall be conferred on District and State level Officers for their outstanding performance in the conduct of elections in different spheres such as IT initiatives, Security Management, Election Management and contribution in the field of voter awareness and outreach.

Chief Election Commissioners and delegates from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Srilanka and Tunisia, who are coming to New Delhi to attend the 10th Annual Meeting of the  Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA), shall grace the occasion.  Reputed international organisations working in elections such as A-WEB, IFES and International IDEA will also be a part of the occasion. Members of Political Parties, Members of Parliament besides Diplomats from various countries and representatives from national and international organizations working in the area of democracy and elections are expected to attend the national function.

The theme for NVD 2020 is ‘Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy’. The theme sets the tone for year-long activities which focus on voter education and renewal of citizens’ faith in the electoral process.