Daya Sagar
Every 25thJanuary is observed in India as National Voters Day ( NVD) as per decision taken in 2011 by Election Commission of India [ 25th Jan is also foundation day ( 25-01-1950 ) of Election Commission of India ] with the objective of increasing voter enrolment & awareness. In 2011 the newly enrolled electors were given a badge with the slogan “Proud to be a Voter-Ready to Vote” and were made to pledge : “We, the citizens of India, having abiding faith in democracy, hereby pledge to uphold the democratic traditions of our country and the dignity of free, fair and peaceful elections, and to vote in every election fearlessly and without being influenced by considerations of religion, race, caste, community, language or any inducement”. Theme for NVD 2025 has also been ” Nothing like Voting , I vote for sure”, which was also the theme for NVD 2024 &for NVD 2023 ..
Election Commission of India had vide communication No. 491 /ECl/LET/FUNC/SVEEP-l/NVD/2024 Dated 2nd Jan addressed to Chief Secretaries of All States/ UTs requested to direct all staff & officers in State Government Departments/ PSUs take the NVD *pledge at around 11:00 AM or at any suitable time during the day, on 25th January,2025, *<“We, the citizens of India , having abiding faith in democracy, hereby pledge to uphold the democratic traditions of our country and the dignity of free, fair and peaceful elections, and to vote in every election fearlessly and without being influenced by considerations of religion, race, caste, community, language or any inducement”>.It is not out of place to mention here that , though late, it was decided in 2011 only to regularly celebrate ( rather we should use the term ‘observe’) NVD every year by also placing a theme in common domain & so there after also have been :Theme 2022 : ‘Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative’ Theme 2021: “Making Our Voters Empowered, Vigilant, Safe and Informed” Theme 2020: “Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy” Theme 2019: “No Voter to be left behind” Theme 2018: “Assessable Elections” Theme 2017: “Empowering Young and Future Voters” Theme 2016: “Inclusive and qualitative participation” Theme 2015: “Easy Registration, Easy Correction” Theme-2014 – Ethical Voting Theme 2013- “inclusion’.
Vow to defeat suchwho believe in exploiting economic compulsions of ‘others’This Jan 25 2025 WE have celebrated 15th NVD. Vow to defeat ‘those’ voter seekers who believe in exploiting economic compulsions of ‘others’.Reach educationally & economically weaker citizens to make them aware of their vote power.
This 2025 NVD is the 15th National Voters Day and so this voters day it is time to introspect how far the “efforts” have been able to make one feel meaningfully concerned about one’s right to vote as aduty towards the fellow citizens so as to give a ‘selfless’ democratically elected parliamentary system of governance and !
Constitution of India (i.e Bharat) as a was adopted on 26-11-1947 has been the modern world’s most deliberated on & elaborately drafted document for a sovereign democratic republic where in provision had also been kept for modifications/ amendments after the same is put in practice to comply with the needs / clarification which might not have been noted that closely while drafting the constitution but ofcourse without going in conflict with the basic structure/ spirits as enshrined there in which do reflect from the preamble , fundamental rights & directive principles ; with Supreme Court there to subject the actions of the executive & legislature to review for being within the spirits of constitution and Institution of President of India kept there as part of Parliament to protect, preserve and defend the Constitution on oath in terms of Art-60 of the Constitution which along with Art-394 became effective from 26-11-1949 itself ( the day Constitution of India was adopted & enacted by the Constituent Assembly to constitute India into a Sovereign Democratic Republic ) where as other articles became effective 26-01-1950 ( Commencement day , the day we celebrate as Republic day).
There has also been the need for carrying on with some process of promoting awareness in every citizen about the power of one’s vote& importance of must casting the vote during elections but with utmost care so as to elect a representative with honest intentions to serve the people of India. So has been the decision of ECI to celebrate the NVD in 2011 ( though late).Ethical Voting has also been the Theme- 2014 which is spirited in voting without fear / without racial and or communal considerations , voting without economic allurement and being truthfully serious about a candidate’s suitability.
Every voter citizen must reiterate pledge to be the first to stand in the ‘Q’ at any opportunity for voting and considerations before a voter could be like (i) how to select a candidate to vote ;(ii) should one vote in the national interest or only more for self interest keeping in view socio communal yardsticks and (iii) should or should not vote for a candidate who has been changing loyalties or has recently changed loyalties after being once elected ? These questions particularly test with Theme- 2014 “Ethical Voting”
So often people are found discussing in private about the political parties also depending upon some alleged criminals / alleged economic offenders for success during elections.
It was somewhere in late 1980s that Shri Rajiv Gandhi was reported as having being asked by a lady that why does political parties like Congress give tickets to persons with criminal background / economic allegations. Mr Gandhi had been quoted as having said that a person who claims a ticket with hundreds of locals cannot be denied ticket without detailed case study / giving opportunity to defend but the same person when comes to seek vote from “you”, if bad, can be rejected by a voter without explaining the reasons for denial. So voter citizen ,is a ‘supreme’ judge. Some people have also been suggesting for introducing a provision for negative voting but instead the provision of NOTA ( None out of Above) has been introduced.
Those who proposed have not been satisfied with NOTA but Political parties did not oppose( may be since NOTA puts no bad candidate to relative disadvantage).A common voter is less supposed to know real negatives of all candidates so NOTA may appear messaging that said voter does not believe in electoral system before him. So still there is scope to remove NOTA. It would be better to give voter the option to elect someone or to ensure that a bad candidate ( as per one’s knowledge) is put to some disadvantage by casting a negative vote by pressing a button marked as NTC ( Not This Candidate )i.e NTC will bea negative vote there by reducing his / her votes by one. So, there should be two buttons with every candidate symbol i.e YES and /NTC.
This day we have very very few social or community bodies independent of the political masters to guide the common masses as regards their rights and jurisdictions over the public representatives.
Not only replacing NOTA with NTC , let us along with carrying on with the theme ” Nothing like Voting , I vote for sure” also go back to the slogan on the badge given to the newly enrolled voters in 2011 and vow to carry with that so as to defeat those vote seekers who are being accused of believing in exploiting the economic needs of some voter citizens like indirectly buying their vote with material allurements like shoes, saris, cash etc. Reach the educationally & economically weaker citizens & make them aware of the power of their vote.
Some from the present “politician family” may not like such suggestions but in the interest of Indian people / Nation process must be started in this direction. We Indians have to save the soul of the democratic system that Indian “elders’ had conceived &drafted as the constitution of India . People must rise above all personal interests to ensure that their elected representatives are forced / impressed upon to see that among other things the provision of NOTA ( none of the above) is replaced with NTC ( Not this Candidate).
(The writer is Senior Journalist and analyst J&K affair)