National Voters’ Day was celebrated for the first time on 25 January 2011 to encourage more young voters to participate in the electoral process. The Union Government led by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved a proposal of the Law Ministry to this effect.
Former Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told at that time that the new voters who attained the age of 18 years were showing less interest in getting enrolled in the electoral rolls.
Soni said that to address the issue, the Election Commission decided to launch a nationwide effort to identify all eligible voters who have reached the age of 18 on January 1 every year in all polling stations across India. .
Such voters will be enrolled and given Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) on January 25 every year.
The theme of this year’s National Voters’ Day is ‘Making elections inclusive, accessible and participatory’. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu was the chief guest of the event. However, he will not physically attend the event after being infected with COVID-19 and will give a virtual message.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju will be the special guest. National Awards for Best Electoral Practices for the year 2021-22 will be given to State and District level officers for their outstanding performance in the conduct of elections in various sectors during the event.
At the same time, Epic will be handed over to the newly enrolled voters during the event.
On the occasion of National Voters’ Day, microblogging platform Ku has released a multilingual guide on voter rights and responsibilities for first time voters to make informed decisions during the upcoming assembly elections in five states. According to a statement, the guide focuses on the fundamental rights of the Indian voter as enshrined in the Constitution, and enumerates the responsibilities that voters need to consider before and after casting their vote.