National Voters’ Day 2024: Celebrating the Power of Democracy

They say the ballot is stronger than the bullet and rightly so, because the future of a republic is in the hands of the voters and the basic rights of the Indian voters are enshrined in the Constitution of India that also enumerates the responsibilities that voters need to consider before and after casting their votes.

The National Voters' Day is celebrated every year in India on January 25 to encourage the country’s voters to participate in the electoral process. This year, it is the 14th edition which is being celebrated.

The first-ever National Voters’ Day was celebrated on January 25, 2011, to encourage more young voters to take part in the electoral process where the Union government, then led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had approved a proposal of the law ministry to this effect. Former information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni at that time had pointed out that the new voters who had attained the age of 18 were showing less interest in getting enrolled in the electoral rolls. To address this issue, the Election Commission decided to launch a nationwide effort to identify all eligible voters who reach the age of 18 on January 1, of each year, in all polling stations across India. Such voters would be enrolled and be given the Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) on January 25 every year.

Dedicated to the voters, NVD 2024 theme – ‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote For sure’ is a continuation from last year’s theme. The President of India Droupadi Murmu will be the Chief Guest at the national function being organised in New Delhi this year by the Election Commission of India and Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge), Arjun Ram Meghwal, will grace the function as Guest of Honour. The event will also be attended by Heads and representatives of Election Management bodies viz. Maldives, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan.

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