15th National Voters' Day celebrated to encourage, maximise voter participation: Chief Electoral Officer

New Delhi [India], January 25 (ANI): The national capital celebrated its 15th National Voters Day on Saturday with the aim to encourage, facilitate, and maximise voter participation, particularly among first-time voters.
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi scheduled several activities to mark the occasion with the solemnity and earnestness befitting the event.
According to an official release, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R Alice Vaz stated that the main purpose of the National Voters' Day celebration is to encourage, facilitate, and maximise voter participation, particularly among first-time voters.
"This year's NVD theme, 'Nothing like voting, I vote for sure,' captures the essence of elections in a truly vibrant democracy. Since 2011, January 25th has been commemorated as National Voters' Day across the country to celebrate the foundation day of the Election Commission of India," said CEO Vaz.
The day is dedicated to the country's voters and aims to improve voter awareness and encourage their informed involvement in the electoral process.
The programme commenced with the welcoming of dignitaries, including Naved (Radio Jockey), Ankur Dhama (Para Athlete), and Suvarna Raj (Para Athlete and ECI Ambassador), following the lighting of the auspicious lamp by the CEO of Delhi.
The programme included the transmission of the audiovisual message from the Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India, addressed to the nation on the occasion of National Voters' Day.
It was followed with taking of the NVD Pledge: "We, the citizens of India, having abiding faith in democracy, hereby pledge to uphold the democratic traditions of our country and the dignity of free, fair and peaceful elections, and to vote in every election fearlessly and without being influenced by considerations of religion, race, caste, community, language or any inducement".
In the NVD function, several first-time voters of Delhi of diverse categories were felicitated and given their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC).
Certificates of Achievement and Cash prizes for the competition namely the 15th National Voters' Day Delhi Election Quiz-2025 competition held by The Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi.
The competition saw enthusiastic participation, with prizes awarded to the top three winners from each of the 11 Districts.
The winners were awarded the first prize of Rs 10,000, the second prize of Rs 7,000, and the third prize of Rs 5,000.
This initiative aimed to promote voter awareness and engagement, celebrating the importance of elections and democratic participation. The event successfully brought together individuals from across Delhi, fostering a spirit of knowledge and civic responsibility.
Awards for the Best Electoral Practices were given to a total of 16 achievers at the state and district levels, for their outstanding performance in election management.
Three DEOs namely Dr Kinni Singh, IAS (DEO-West), Mekala Chaitanya Prasad, IAS(DEO-South) and Amol Srivastava, IAS(DEO-EAST) were awarded for Election Management and Voter's Education and Electoral Participation, Election Management, IT initiatives, Election Management and innovative measures. 2 ERO, AERO were awarded in the Best Performing ERO/AERO Officer Category. 5 BLOs awarded in the Best Performing BLO Category. In addition to this, a Special Category Award was given to 6 Officers/officials of the CEO (HQ).
Vaz said, "Voters are the backbone of a democracy. Our constant endeavour is to educate, motivate, facilitate, engage and empower the voters so that they can play their democratic role more and more effectively. Let's renew our commitment to making elections truly inclusive, accessible and participative on this special occasion of the 15th NVD." (ANI)