Every Indian citizen, above 18 years of age have the right to cast a vote and choose the government they prefer. As the largest democratic country in the world, India gives a lot of importance to people’s choices and freedom. While many people in other countries long for a democratic government and want to exercise their voting rights, few people in India prefer to not cast a vote as they think it does not make any difference. When was the last time you tried to explain to a teenager about the importance of voting and got ignored? Youngsters in India need to be motivated and encouraged to cast their vote. They should be taught how their votes can be used by others as a bogus vote which will only form a corrupt government.
History of National Voter’s Day
After noticing that voters who attained 18 years of age showing less or no interest in voting, the Government of India decided that they should motivate and encourage the young voters of the country to participate in the elections. For this reason, the Indian Government decided to celebrate 25 January as National Voter’s Day or Rashtriya Matdata Diwas every year. This particular day was selected as it was also the foundation day of the Election Commission of India. So, every year on this day, the government launches various campaigns National Voters Day-History, Theme, and Importance
to educate young voters about the role they play in the elections and the importance of exercising their voting rights. The first National Voter’s Day was celebrated in 2011 and been a successful event ever since. The then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh announced about the National Voter’s Day to the people of India.
Themes of National Voter’s Day in India
Every year, the Election Commission of India comes with different themes for the National Voter’s Day. Every year the aim of having a theme is to increase the participation of citizens in the voting process. Some of the themes so far are:
- “Greater participation for a stronger democracy” was the theme of the National Voters Day in 2011.
- “Inclusion” was the theme in 2013.
- In 2015, the EC promoted awareness under the theme “Easy registration, easy correction”.
- “Inclusive and qualitative participation” was the theme in 2016.
- “Empowering young and future voters” was the themes in 2017.
- 'Accessible elections' was the theme for the current year, 2018.
Importance of the National Voter’s Day
- National Voter’s Day creates awareness about the power of voting among youngsters who will be the pillar of the society in the future.
- This day also focuses on registering new voters. This way, every year, the number of voters increases.
- Celebrating National Voter’s Day also brings unity among the people of India which helps them make better decisions and choose a just government.
- Every year, the EC chooses a theme and works around it. These themes help in making the entire voting process easy for the public.
- Every year, the government makes the election process easier and transparent. This makes the government trustworthy.
Unlike many other countries, India gives their citizens the right to vote. It is the duty of every citizen to apply for a Voter ID Card and cast a vote. If you feel none of the political parties deserves to win, please make use of the NOTA option. Nota stands for “None of the above”. You can choose this option while casting your vote if you feel that none of the parties deserves your vote.
