Shri Tom Jose IAS, Chief Secretary, Kerala,

Shri V. Bhaskaran, State Election Commissioner, Kerala,

Shri Teekaram Meena, IAS, Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala,

Dr. K. Vasuki IAS, District Collector, Thiruvananthapuram,

Sahodaree Sahodaranmare,

Ellavarkkum Ente Namaskaram.

 

I am very happy to inaugurate the National Voters’ Day Celebration in the State of Kerala. The theme for this year's celebration is ‘No Voter to be Left Behind'.  

Let me at the outset, express my deep sense of appreciation for choosing ‘No Voter to be Left Behind’ as the theme for this year. I recall that last year, theme was ‘Accessible Elections’ chosen with the objective of facilitating Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the electoral process. This year’s theme is one step ahead, since after ensuring access to elections, it is befitting that our attempt is to ensure that all voters make use of that access. 

 

As we all know, since 2011 we have been celebrating National Voters’ Day all over the country on 25th January, which was the date on which Election Commission of India (ECI) was formed in 1950. The Constitution of India also vested on the Commission, the powers of the superintendence, direction and control of the entire process for the conduct of elections to Parliament, Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India.  

 

Today’s celebration of National Voters' Day is   special due to many reasons. First and foremost, the Voter’s Day is the true celebration of a Democracy; we are celebrating our power as voters, which has been granted by our Constitution. Secondly, we are expecting a general election in a few months, which will see lakhs of new voters exercising their franchise.  We have also been hearing and seeing arguments and counter arguments on the credibility of the Electronic Voting Machines. 

The vote is a right that a citizen should exercise with full understanding of the social realities and not for the mere sake of voting. Our vote is the real instrument of change that we possess as citizens. It is this power to exercise our choice that makes all of us the sentinels of the democratic tradition.

 

India, which is the largest and the most vibrant democracy, has been a model to the world in terms of the faith in the Ballot. There are many nations around us, with lesser population and less diversity compared to us. But, none of them has demonstrated and sustained the power of the vote with greater dedication and faith than us.

Most of us would recall that earlier, voter eligibility age was 21 years, but in 1988 it was lowered to 18 years, through the Sixty-First Amendment Bill, because several countries across the world had adopted 18 years as official voting age. Besides, the population of young people was getting increasingly literate and politically conscious. It was certainly democratically befitting to include the youth in the process of elections.

 

We usually call the ‘Right to Vote’ as the mother of all rights under the Indian Constitution. It is also believed that the highest office in our democracy is that of the ‘citizen of India’. But, to be a responsible citizen, we should be aware of our rights as well as the Fundamental Duties prescribed by our Constitution. One of the Duties prescribed here is about our civic responsibility to speak out freely in support of democratic principles of freedom, equality, justice, human rights, social welfare, environment and political and social improvement, both domestically and internationally. Our people, especially our youth should feel proud of performing their constitutional duties as their contribution to the nation and society.  It is this sense of responsibility as citizens that would make our nation strong, invincible and globally respected.

 

Voters need to be educated about the electoral process and made aware of the political parties, their manifestos, backgrounds of the contesting candidates etc. They must also be equipped with several other information to help them cast an “enlightened vote”. 

 

I understand that National Voters Day celebration is observed across India in over 7 lakh locations. I remember that last year, the  Millennium Voters or those born on the first day of the 21st century i.e. 1.1.2000 and who   completed  18 years of age on 1.1.2018 were  felicitated and newly registered voters were given identity cards. I would suggest that we launch Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) in Colleges and Universities, Electoral Literacy Communities in schools and continue the voter education process. This year, I understand that Election Quiz etc and similar programmes have been planned to reach out to future voters.

Our voters should also know about how, we as a people, came to enjoy the constitutional promise of our Fundamental Rights and  how democracy has been rightly declared as one of the ‘basic features’ not amenable to amendment by various judicial pronouncements over a period of time. For instance, all the seven Judges who constituted the majority in Kesavananda Bharati (1973) 4 SCC 225 were unanimous that democratic set-up was part of the basic structure of the Constitution. 

 

In Kerala, we can be really proud that the people have always upheld the sanctity of the democratic process by ensuring an average 75% voter turn-out and through active and informed participation. In the last Assembly Elections, the turn-out was 77.34%. Our contribution to the Electoral process is also noteworthy, especially the idea of the model code of conduct for elections, which emanated from Kerala for the first time through consensus in 1960. Kerala also has the distinction of having used the Electronic Voting Machine for the first time in 1982. And, we were also the first to have online registration in Electoral rolls and Kerala is among the few States in the country to have 100% online registration process.  

 

Kerala had also become the first State in the country with a fully automated database, connected to the National Voters Service Portal (NVSP).  The unique number for each voter   would help avoid duplication.  You may recall that duplication has been cited as a major issue that could lead to malpractices in voting.

 

As the former judge of the Supreme Court who delivered the Judgment in the proposal of electoral reforms such as ‘Nota’, ‘Paper Trail’, ‘furnishing all required details in the nomination paper’ as mandatory etc., I am happy that those subjects have once again come to the fore. And this has come at a time when many questions have been raised about the foolproof nature of our Electronic Voting Machines. The Election Commission has made it clear that since our EVMs are not networked, the question of them being hacked is most unlikely. The Supreme Court had earlier said that it was imperative that ections held through Electronic Voting Machines  ought to implement Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails [VVPAT] so that a voter  could satisfy himself  that his vote was accurately recorded. The Commission has now been asked to respond to a petition seeking the implementation of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails in at least 30% of all polling stations in a Constituency.

 

Such measures may be expensive in nature, but they are necessary to ensure that our electoral process is totally tamper-proof and trustworthy. In these days of technology and Artificial Intelligence, security threats are looming large in almost all systems. It is therefore, good to take precautionary measures, especially when we consider the level of cynicism that some sections of our society harbour about the democratic process. You may recall that a Baseline Survey conducted in Kerala by  Political Science Department of University of Kerala had once pointed a prevalence of  apathy which was  due to lack of proper information on electoral processes. 

 

Now that we are trying to ensure that No One is Left Behind, we need more targeted interventions to bridge the gender gap in voter registration and participation. We also need to focus on the Transgenders and the guest workers whose population is increasing year by year. Special programmes have to be devised with the active participation of young Electoral Literacy at Ambassadors to take the message of democratic participation to grass root levels and to sections which are otherwise least likely to be included in the process. The State Election Department’s efforts in creating awareness among the youth through the   Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) are laudable. I would also suggest that the Department makes better use of the Media in spreading Electoral Literacy among the people, especially the youth. The official media and government run channels like KITE-Victers, which cater to students can be used for this.

 

I would urge the Young and Future voters of India to learn about our democracy and to follow its highest principles. Remember that your right to vote is also your duty as a citizen. The vote is not just a drop of ink on the finger; it's the mark of your commitment to the destiny of our nation. 

I compliment the State Election Department for conducting this function in a befitting manner.

 

Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal

Thank You

Jai Hind