As observed nationwide, the 12th National Voters’ Day, 2022 with the theme ‘Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible, and Participative’, was also observed at the Chief Electoral Office (CEO), Manipur at City Convention, Palace Compound, Imphal on Tuesday.
Addressing the occasion, chief secretary Rajesh Kumar urged people to vote with a sense of responsibility and cautiously for the right candidate in the coming state Assembly election scheduled to be held on February 27 and March 3.
Rajesh Kumar said the electoral population ratio has increased by 2 per cent from 55.7 to 57.7 per cent. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has carried out many reforms for the proper conduct of elections. It is the duty of the people to inform the election machinery of any malpractices, inducement, or violation of the model code of conduct, he said.
Rajesh urged the people to come out to cast their valuable votes to choose a rightful candidate and pledge for a free and fair election.
He said the state has been hit by the Covid wave and it could peak in the next 15-20 days. Therefore, people should take precautionary measures by taking the vaccine. When one is vaccinated, there is less chance of severe impact from the virus infection, he added.
Chief electoral officer, Manipur, Rajesh Agarwal said the officials had been putting much effort into the electoral process to make it truly inclusive, accessible and participative. For the coming election, all the election machinery has been unified and geared up to ensure free, fair, peaceful and a participative election.
As a part of the event, a photo exhibition on the SVEEP Campaign was formally opened by chief secretary Rajesh Kumar. Administering of National Voters' Day Pledge, presentation of newly enrolled voters with badges and EPIC, felicitation of SVEEP State Icons, launching of video on ‘ethical voting’, person with disabilities and video screening on SVEEP Campaigns and distribution of various awards were the main highlights of the event.
District election officer, Imphal West Th Kirankumar; district election officer, Chandel Mayanglambam Rajkumar and district election officer, Churachandpur Pawan Yadav received the Star District election officer Award. Electoral registration officers (EROs) of 3-Khurai, 19-Patsoi, 26-Bishenpur, 30-Lilong, 34-Wangjing Tentha and 58-Churachandpur bagged the Star ERO Award. Booth level officers of 58-Churachandpur, 52-Tamei, 5-Thongju, 53-Tamenglong, 47-Karong and 9-Thangmeiband received the Star BLO award.
Winners of the State Level Ballot Battle Quiz Competition were also felicitated. The winners are Rajkumari Olivia Devi and Rajkumar Ishworchandra Singh of Loktak Christian Model High School, Moirang for Bishnupur district; Mashungam John Raikhan and Aiyush Katwal of Mt Everest Higher Secondary School for Senapati district and Md Arash Ahmed and Md Hibjur Rahaman of EK Higher Secondary School for Imphal East district respectively.
Director general of Police, Manipur P Doungel; state additional chief secretaries, Letkhogin Haokip, Paulunthang Vaiphei and Vumlunmang Vualnam also attended the event as the guests of honour. Additional chief electoral officer N Praveen Singh; joint chief electoral officers Ramananda Nongmeikapam and Md S Daulat Khan and officers and officials concerned also attended.
In Imphal East district, the National Voters Day was held at Porompat Panchayat Bhawan in presence of the deputy commissioner, sub divisional officers, election registration officers, booth level officers of Imphal East district.
Addressing the function, district election officer cum DC of Imphal East, Khumanthem Diana Devi said the day is observed at 10 lakh locations in India. It is being observed to raise awareness about the importance of voting in a democratic society and educate the people about their right to vote.
This year’s NVD theme, ‘Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible, and Participative,’ focuses on ECI’s dedication to facilitating active voter involvement during elections and making the entire process hassle-free and memorable for all types of voters. She urged all voters to get vaccinations ahead of the election.
Ahead of the election announcement, various programmes, activities were conducted at different locations of Imphal East to make the voters aware. And also during the National Voters Day, a signature campaign was held. The prizes were distributed for the district level essay competition which was conducted on November 29, 2021 as a part of District SVEEP campaign.
The prizes for slogan competition on elections and electoral process conducted on December 3, 2021 as a part of district SVEEP campaign was also distributed to the winners. The best booth level officer of Imphal East district was awarded. The Elector’s Photo Identity card (EPIC) was distributed to newly elected voters of Imphal East.
