Across the four states and one UT where polling is scheduled in April, there are over 27 lakh electors aged between 18 and 19 years old, making them would-be first-time voters.(Representational image)
With the aim to spread awareness among first-time voters as well as those who would be exercising their voting rights in the future, the Election Commission is planning on reviving around 5 lakh Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) in schools and colleges across the country this year, starting with those in election-going states, EC officials said.
The EC had rolled out the initiative in 2018 to familiarise students of Class IX to XII and college students about the electoral process. Of the 5.80 lakh ELCs that were established, around 5 lakh are functioning today while the remaining have become inactive, it is learnt.
In poll-bound states of Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal, around 7,000 such groups exist, an official said. The ELCs are supported by the respective District Election Officers (DEOs) for carrying out various activities, including social media campaigns, door-to-door awareness drives, essay-writing competitions, quizzes, etc, the official said. The ELCs would also be considered for awards during the EC’s annual awards on National Voters’ Day on January 25, the official said.
In West Bengal, the EC has planned a voter awareness event at Howrah Bridge in Kolkata on Friday, with a focus on first-time voters. The state has around 1,250 ELCs that have been involved with the voter education drive, according to the EC.
Across the four states and one UT where polling is scheduled in April, there are over 27 lakh electors aged between 18 and 19 years old, making them would-be first-time voters.
Schools and colleges can sign up with the DEO or Electoral Registration Officer to have an ELC. All students of Class IX to XII in case of schools and all college students aged 18 to 21 years will be considered members of the ELC of their respective institutions.
As per the EC’s website for ELCs, “An Electoral Literacy Club is a platform to engage school students through interesting activities and hands-on experience to sensitise them on their electoral rights and familiarise them with the electoral process of registration and voting.”
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