The 10th National Voters’ Day was celebrated at over several locations in Vellore, Tirupattur, Ranipet and Tiruvannamalai districts on Saturday. The theme this year is ‘Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy’.
It set the tone for year-long activities focusing on voter education and renewal of citizens’ faith in the electoral process. This day is celebrated since 2011 to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India, which was established on January 25, 1950.
More than 300 students from Voorhees College and DKM College participated in an awareness rally, which started from Anna Kalaiarangam, Vellore. A. Shanmuga Sundaram, District Collector, Vellore flagged off the rally. He asked the voters to cast their votes since it is a democratic right of every citizen. Mr. Shanmuga Sundaram distributed prizes to the winners of essay, elocution, drawing competitions organised earlier and greeted a few senior citizens for their contributions to the nation. District Revenue Officer, J. Partheeban, Vellore Revenue Divisional Officer, S. Ganesh participated. In Tirupattur, District Collector, M.P. Sivanarul administered a pledge to the students and other voters on the importance of voting.
In a function organised at Arignar Anna Government Women’s Arts College in Walajah, Ranipet Collector S. Divyadarshini addressed the gathering of young voters. She asked them to be proud to cast their votes without aiming for any favour, which alone would save the democracy. Ranipet Sub-Collector, K. Elambahavath, said that it is important to choose the right person to rule us and keeping that in mind one should exercise their franchise, which he claimed as a ‘sacred one’.
Tiruvannamalai Collector inaugurated a cycle rally at Tiruvannamalai, where more than 500 students participated and created awareness on voters rights. He also launched a wall painting campaign in Arni. Students painted the walls of a Municipal Park with voters awareness messages. College students who participated in the essay writing, elocutionwere given prizes on the occasion.
