Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow
Lucknow, Aug 24: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday stressed the need to strengthen electoral literacy among young citizens through educational institutions while addressing participants at the second regional conference on “Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC 2.0) and ECINET”.
Interacting with students and teachers from schools and colleges across Uttar Pradesh at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow, the CEC described students as the future of the nation.
Gyanesh Kumar said Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) are essential for carrying forward knowledge and understanding of electoral processes and for strengthening democracy.
He explained that elections in India are conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, laws and instructions issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), and are carried out transparently under the concurrent audit of political parties, candidates and their representatives at every stage.
The CEC underlined the need to familiarise students and young electors with India’s electoral system, democratic values, voter registration, polling and counting processes, as well as the role and functioning of the ECI.
Emphasising the importance of engaging young citizens, Kumar said their trust and informed participation in the electoral process was an investment in the future of democracy, according to an official statement.
ELC 2.0, with the tagline “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy.”, seeks to encourage young and first-time voters not only to understand democratic processes but also to participate meaningfully and contribute to their progress.
Earlier in the day, Kumar visited his alma mater, Colvin Taluqdars’ College in Lucknow, where he interacted with teachers and students.
On Tuesday, the second day of his visit, the CEC will interact with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) of Uttar Pradesh.
According to the official statement, ELC 2.0 seeks to reimagine Electoral Literacy Clubs as structured, visible and digitally enabled platforms across schools, colleges and universities.
The initiative envisages continuous, year-round activities aimed at promoting electoral literacy among young citizens and spreading electoral awareness among their families, educational institutions and communities.
ELC 2.0 will leverage the extensive ECINet digital platform, which provides election-related services from electoral rolls to polling at the click of a button.
A streamlined pan-India network of Electoral Literacy Clubs will be developed through a dedicated ELC portal on ECINet.
The initiative assumes significance given India’s vast educational ecosystem, comprising approximately 15 lakh schools with nearly 25 crore students and more than 1 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.