Vote responsibly: Guv to youth

Tribune Reporters

Shimla, January 25

Governor Bandaru Dattatreya today said India was a vibrant democracy where voters and the Election Commission complemented each other.

He was speaking on the occasion of the 10th National Voters’ Day celebrations at Gaiety Theatre here. “We are both the largest and most diverse democracy. While the contribution of all stakeholders in our election process is important, yet two of them stand out. These are the voters and the Election Commission as they complement each other,” he said.

“On this day, we should take an oath of participation in every election of the nation as the vote of every person lays the foundation of the future of the country,” he said. He urged young voters to exercise their franchise with responsibility, morality and sensitivity.

Dattatreya lauded the role of the state election department and said Himachal had about 52,09,670 voters and the number of polling stations was 7,792. Many of the centres were in tough areas. He said the department had made special arrangements for many voters due to their physical condition.

The Governor said the theme of this year’s Voters’ Day was ‘Electoral literacy for a stronger democracy’. He presented the state award to Yunus Khan, Director, Tourism and State-Level Awards for Best Electoral Practices to Vijay Kumari and Santosh Kumari from Una, Shanti Devi from Kullu, Paramjit Singh from Kangra and Tirtha Nand Shastri at the district-level from Shimla. He also felicitated Shalini as the State Icon of the Election Department on the occasion.

Chief Electoral Officer Rupali Thakur said literacy programmes had been held in schools, colleges and universities by the department to ensure the participation of young voters.

Students take oath

Kangra: The National Voters’ Day was celebrated by students and staff of the Priyadarshini Nursing Education Institute, Rait. Congress youth leader Kewal Singh Pathania also joined in the celebrations. Vice-Principal Shabnam administered an oath to students, faculty and other dignitaries on the occasion.