A large number of voters both first timers and also those who have been voting for years enthusiastically waited for their names to be announced and get a chance to be felicitated by Chief Guest Governor Droupadi Murmu at the 10th National Voters Day programme on Saturday at the Aryabhatta auditorium in the State Capital.
The day celebrated across the country acknowledges the achievements of the voters as well as election officers for ensuring peaceful and fair elections.
The event also saw the participation of State Election Commissioner NN Pandey, Chief Electoral Officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey, Ranchi University Vice Chancellor Dr Ramesh Kumar Pandey, Ranchi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rai Mahimapat Ray and RIMS Director Professor Dr DK Singh among others.
Geeta Kumari (78) a resident of Chutia has been a part of various Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. “To be honest I don’t even remember how many times I have voted in my life and till date I have not skipped any elections. Because of my health, my family does discourage me from going to the voting booth, but I feel it is my duty to cast my vote.”
“It was a great experience to cast my vote for the first time in the 2019 Vidhan Sabha elections. Each vote is valuable and young voters play a vital role in a democracy. After casting my vote, getting my finger made me feel very responsible towards my country,” said Payal Singh (18) a first time voter studying B.Com at Ranchi College.
Emphasising on ‘No vote should be left behind’ the Governor said that voting is a fundamental tight and must be exercised by one and all. “ In a democracy like ours voting plays a vital role in decision making and everyone who is eligible to vote must do so. It was on this day in 1950 that the Election Commission of India was established and National Voters Day is being observed red since 2011. Various programmes are organised right from verification of voter lists to awareness drives in order to ensure participation,” said the Governor.
“In 2019 the Lok Sabhja elections were called Desh ka Mahaparv while the Vidhan Sabha elections were also held in Jharkhand. The elections were held peacefully with active participation of voters from all spheres which is a great achievement,” added the Governor.
The Ranchi DC was also acknowledged for his efforts. “This honour has been possible with the combined efforts of the entire team and is it for all the officials and personnel of Ranchi,” said the DC.
During the programme senior citizen voters, differently abled voters and first time voters were acknowledged by the Governor. Photo identity cards were also given to the first time voters.
