Patna, August 18: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday called upon educational institutions to play a greater role in strengthening electoral literacy, building trust in the electoral process and promoting informed democratic participation among young citizens.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) launched Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC) 2.0 at a conference on “Electoral Literacy Clubs and ECINet” held at Gyan Bhawan in Patna.
Addressing the conference, Kumar said India’s elections are conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, laws and instructions issued by the Election Commission. He said the electoral process is carried out transparently, with political parties, candidates and their representatives having opportunities to participate in and audit the process at various stages.
The CEC stressed the need to familiarise students and young voters with India’s electoral system, democratic values, voter registration, polling and counting procedures, as well as the role and functioning of the Election Commission.
“Engaging young citizens and ensuring their trust and informed participation in the electoral process is an investment in the future of democracy,” the CEC said.
A new logo for the Electoral Literacy Club was also unveiled during the programme. The initiative carries the tagline “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy.”, reflecting its objective of enabling young and first-time voters to understand democratic processes and participate meaningfully in them.
Earlier, Kumar held a meeting with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at the Rajgir International Convention Centre in Nalanda. During his two-day visit to Bihar on August 16 and 17, he also undertook field visits to Madhubani, Vaishali and Nalanda.
ELC 2.0 seeks to transform Electoral Literacy Clubs into structured, visible and digitally enabled platforms across schools, colleges and universities. The programme envisages year-round activities to promote electoral awareness among young citizens and extend awareness to their families, institutions and communities.
The initiative will leverage ECINet, the Election Commission’s digital platform providing election-related services covering the electoral process from roll to poll. A dedicated ELC portal on ECINet will facilitate the creation of a streamlined pan-India network of Electoral Literacy Clubs.
The initiative assumes significance given the scale of India’s education system. The country has around 15 lakh schools with nearly 25 crore students and more than one crore teachers. The higher education sector comprises nearly 1,500 universities and around 70,000 educational institutions, with an estimated enrolment of 4.33 crore students.
Through this extensive institutional network, ELC 2.0 aims to promote factual and experiential electoral education and enhance awareness about the transparency, integrity and credibility of India’s electoral system.
The clubs will also disseminate information on different stages of elections, including voter registration, polling and counting, besides creating awareness about the ECINET App and other key initiatives of the Election Commission.
The ECI expects the expanded network of Electoral Literacy Clubs to help young citizens become informed participants and ambassadors of democratic participation.
