Jharkhand Election Commissioner Urges Youth to Vote Responsibly on National Voters' Day

Ranchi: Jharkhand state election commissioner Alka Tiwari on Sunday called upon young voters to exercise their franchise freely and responsibly.Addressing voters at a programme organised to mark National Voters’ Day at the Aryabhatta auditorium of Ranchi University, Tiwari emphasised the role of informed and impartial voting in upholding democratic values.“While people in many parts of the world had to struggle for decades to secure voting rights due to discrimination based on class, creed or gender, Indians can take pride in the fact that equal voting rights were granted to every citizen soon after Independence. The annual observance of National Voters’ Day offers an opportunity to reflect on this constitutional right and exercise it responsibly,” Tiwari said.She further added that the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 years, considering the Indian youth has become educated and free from the influence of caste, religion, language or other divisive factors.“Voters should therefore cast their ballots by assessing the competence of candidates and their ability to bring positive change to society,” Tiwari added.She encouraged first-time voters to actively participate in all levels of the electoral process and make choices based on issues and merit. “Unfortunately, a low voting percentage is often recorded in urban areas in our country. But if we do not exercise our franchise, we lose our right to criticise the elected representatives,” Tiwari added.She appealed to the youths aged 18 years of age to register their names in the voter list by logging in to the Election Commission's website, contacting the booth-level officer (BLO) of their respective polling station, or using the Voter Helpline app, and exercise their voting rights.On the occasion, several elderly, first-time and transgender voters were honoured, along with election officials, for their outstanding performance in the state elections and bye-elections. Jharkhand’s chief electoral officer, K. Ravi Kumar, also administered an oath to all voters present, pledging their commitment to free and fair participation in the electoral process.