Panaji: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday said Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) would empower young citizens to uphold truth and contribute to strengthening India’s democratic framework.
Addressing the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) fourth regional conference on “Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC 2.0) and ECINet” in Goa, the CEC said students are the future of the country and that ELCs would play a vital role in deepening democratic awareness and participation among the youth.
Interacting with students and teachers from schools, colleges and universities across Goa, Kumar described ELCs as important platforms for helping young people understand electoral processes and democratic values.
He emphasised that elections in India are conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, relevant laws and directions issued by the Election Commission, and are carried out transparently under the concurrent scrutiny of recognised political parties, candidates and their authorised representatives at every stage.
Highlighting ECINet, Kumar said the platform would serve as a key instrument of transparency for electors, offering a unified digital interface for election-related services and information across the country.
ELC 2.0, launched with the tagline “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy.”, seeks to transform Electoral Literacy Clubs into structured, visible and digitally enabled platforms across schools, colleges and universities. The initiative aims to encourage young and first-time voters to understand better and actively participate in the democratic process.
Leveraging the ECINet digital platform, which integrates election-related services from electoral rolls to polling, ELC 2.0 will support year-round electoral literacy activities through a dedicated portal and help build a nationwide network of Electoral Literacy Clubs.
The initiative assumes significance given India’s vast educational ecosystem, which includes around 15 lakh schools with nearly 25 crore students and more than one crore teachers. The higher education sector comprises nearly 1,500 universities and around 70,000 institutions, with an estimated enrolment of 4.33 crore students.
Through this extensive institutional network, ELC 2.0 aims to promote factual and experiential electoral education, enhance awareness of the country’s electoral system and encourage young citizens to become ambassadors of informed democratic participation. The clubs will also disseminate information related to voter registration, polling, counting, the ECINet App and other key ECI initiatives.
The CEC was on a two-day visit to Goa to interact with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and ELC members from across the state. On Wednesday, he addressed more than 1,000 BLOs and lauded their contribution to the smooth conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Goa.
The programme also featured an interactive question-and-answer session during which students engaged directly with the CEC on various aspects of India’s electoral process.
(IANS)
