GANDHINAGAR, Jan 25:
While emphasising that one should never underestimate the value of his vote, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said that a vote is the most effective tool in the hands of people to express that even the ‘strongest’ of leaders are mere pygmies in front of the ballot box. Writing on his blog on ‘Voters Day’ today, Mr Modi said that the best example is the 1977 Lok Sabha elections. Intoxicated with power, overconfidence and authoritarianism, the ruling party and the Prime Minster declared elections. Censorship was near complete and dissenting voices were silenced but when the people spoke they spoke louder than everything else, he stated and said ‘This is the power of your vote.’
He conveyed his greetings to the Election Commission of India, which came into existence on this day. He congratulated the EC of India for having steadfastly stood as a guardian and protector of the most important democratic process in India — elections, for over 6 decades.
He said, ‘Electioneering in India has come a long way since the first-ever general elections in 1952. From ballot papers we have moved to electronic voting machines (EVMs). Earlier counting of votes would extend beyond a day, however, now the entire picture ecomes clear in a matter of hours. Also, earlier elections could turn extremely violent with booth capturing in some parts, but now violence and other electoral malpractices have been reduced substantially.’
Mr Modi pointed out there were several issues that needs to be addressed. He said, ‘if there is one important issue even today, it is to further increase voter registration. The past several elections across India have seen record turnouts. This is a positive sign, but there remain several people, particularly youngsters who despite being eligible are not registered as voters. The Election Commission has been extremely proactive in increasing registration, but with more help from citizens, we can go even further.’
‘We need to think about strengthening voter facilitation through innovative means such as mobile registration kiosks,’ he said.
He observed that duration between the time one submits the voter registration form and the time when he or she gets the voter card is long and called for shortening that duration. He suggested to keep the citizens updated on the status of their application.
‘Similarly, we must ensure that proper voting facilities are made available to our brave army personnel, especially those posted in the border areas,’ he said. ‘It is also the need of the hour to infuse our election processes with even more technology, innovation and look towards the future. We need to explore a more user friendly online voter registration system. Further, we need to use mobile technology for voter registration and information dissemination about polling booths, among others.
Noting that it is time to start discussing the possibility of online voting, he admitted that it has its inherent challenges.
While referring to last year’s Supreme Court’s historic verdict which gave the voters the option of not to vote for any candidate, he said ‘The verdict was a step in the right direction but its true essence will come out when we are able to successfully institutionalize a near universal voting for our citizens through facilitation for voter registration and voting. Every citizen must rise to the occasion and contribute to the strengthening of our democracy.’
He called upon the party workers to take a pledge to become proactive and said they should ensure that maximum number of friends and family members register as voters and that they participate in every elections, from the local body to Lok Sabha. He also asked the overseas Indians to ensure eligible non-resident Indians (NRI) voters are registered and eligible NRI voters come to India and cast their vote on the day of polling. He asked his party workers to make ‘Mision 272+’ a success and said they should reach out to as many voters and connect with them.
(UNI)
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