Guwahati, Jan 25: Assam chief electoral officer (CEO) Nitin Khade on Wednesday appealed to voters, especially the youth, to exercise their voting rights in elections with informed choice, without fear and favour.
Speaking at the state-level function held here on the occasion of 13th National Voters’ Day, Khade spoke at length about the significant work done by the Election Commission of India (ECI) since its inception for conducting free, fair and safe elections and management of an error-free electoral roll.
The CEO also administered the National Voters’ Day pledge to all the participants.
In his speech, Khade highlighted the significance of the National Voters’ Day besides touching upon the latest initiatives of ECI to enroll eligible young voters by providing the opportunity to apply for registration in advance.
The programme was graced by Pallav Gopal Jha, district election officer, Kamrup Metropolitan; Kapil Bora, actor and state SVEEP icon, and Swati Bidhan Baruah, advocate and social activist.
Besides, guests comprising PwD (persons with disability) voters, young voters, students, representatives of various political parties, booth level assistants of political parties, booth level Officers (BLOs), BLO supervisors, and officials from the election department also attended the programme.
The Chief Election Commissioner’s video message was shared on the occasion.
A video on PwD, made by the office of the CEO, Assam, was launched besides the release of a song, “Main Bharat Hoon-Hum Bharat Ke Matdata Hain” by the ECI, during the programme.
The winner of the ‘National Voter Awareness Contest’ in the singing category, Rupjyoti Nath, was also awarded at the event.
Another highlight of the programme was the distribution of the “State Electoral Practices Awards” among the officers.
The meeting was preceded by an interesting interactive quiz session conducted with the young voters and other participants, photo exhibition, etc.