On National Voters’ Day, the Congress on Thursday criticised the Election Commission for refusing to meet Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc leaders on its demand for greater use of VVPATs in elections.
The country is celebrating its 14th National Voters’ Day. The day is being celebrated annually on January 25 to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India.
In a post on X, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said every year January 25 is celebrated as the National Voters’ Day by the Election Commission of India.
But sadly, this independent institution has been simply refusing to meet a delegation of leaders belonging to the INDIA bloc who only want to put across their point of view on the greater use of VVPATs when voters cast their vote, he said.
“VVPAT is nothing but Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail. This persistent refusal of the ECI is an ANYAY that strikes at the very foundations of our democracy, the right of the voter to verify that their vote has been recorded accurately,” Ramesh said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X said, “We are proud that the election process of Universal Adult Suffrage, has deepened to the grassroots, Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies, as our towering founders had imagined.”
“India’s tryst with Democracy is a story which needs to be told time and again, but any complacency enables authoritarian tendencies to gain ground,” he said.
“Today, we are at a juncture where safeguarding the independence of our institutions is paramount, so that Democracy is protected and the Constitution is upheld,” Kharge said.
The Congress in a post on X also wished on the 14th National Voters’ Day and said, “let us celebrate our democracy’s biggest festival—the universal suffrage”.
“Let’s encourage & promote informed public participation in the our vibrant electoral processes, offering the ultimate power in a democracy to its rightful—the people,” the Congress wrote in a post on X.
The theme for this year’s National Voters’ Day is ‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote For sure’, which is a continuation of last year’s theme.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also virtually addressed young voters across 5,000 locations in India. He asserted that the BJP government took the country out of the darkness staring at youngsters 10-12 years back, as he told young voters that their votes will decide India’s future direction and approach.