NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the Election Commission and the country’s electoral process for setting a benchmark while law minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to all those criticising the poll panel to be mindful of the tone of their criticism.
In an interaction with BJP workers, coinciding with the National Voters’ Day, Modi though expressed concern over low voting percentage, especially in urban areas, and said this should change in a vibrant democracy like India. He lamented that residents in urban areas discuss elections on social media but don’t go to vote.
The PM also raised the issues of “one nation, one election” and “one nation, one voters’ list”, saying the continuous cycle of elections results in politics being seen in everything while development works suffer.
Addressing an event organised by the
Commission to mark the day, Rijiju said, “In a democracy, everyone has the right to criticise the EC but must keep the language in mind. Courts can make critical observations about EC but judges should think about the language they use and try to understand the circumstances under which EC officials work.”
“It is okay to criticise the Election Commission but there should be a firm basis to it. The elements who try to discredit the efforts of EC are actually trying to discredit the democratic process of our country,” the law minister said in the presence of chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra and election commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey.
In an audio-visual message, vice-president M Vekaiah Naidu lauded the increase in voter participation from 58.2% in 2009 Lok Sabha elections to 66.44% in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and urged that it be taken up further to 75% in the next general elections. The vice-president also made a pitch for simultaneous elections.
Meanwhile, Sushil Chandra said that all arrangements were being made for safety of votes and voters in the ensuing state elections. Calling upon the need to curb the influence of money and muscle power in elections, he said an effort has to be made by the society as a whole, and not just the Election Commission, that people with criminal antecedents are discouraged from participating.
Rajiv Kumar said that the participation of women electors had gone up by 235% since 1971. Also, young voters now comprise 25% of the country’s electoral base, with their total number at 23 crore, he added. Anup Chandra Pandey appreciated the law ministry for being supportive of all efforts of the Election Commission, including the recent amendments to the Representation of the People Act.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the Election Commission and the country’s electoral process for setting a benchmark while law minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to all those criticising the poll panel to be mindful of the tone of their criticism. In an interaction with BJP workers, coinciding with the National Voters’ Day, Modi though expressed concern over low voting percentage, especially in urban areas, and said this should change in a vibrant democracy like India. He lamented that residents in urban areas discuss elections on social media but don’t go to vote. The PM also raised the issues of “one nation, one election” and “one nation, one voters’ list”, saying the continuous cycle of elections results in politics being seen in everything while development works suffer. Addressing an event organised by the Commission to mark the day, Rijiju said, “In a democracy, everyone has the right to criticise the EC but must keep the language in mind. Courts can make critical observations about EC but judges should think about the language they use and try to understand the circumstances under which EC officials work.” “It is okay to criticise the Election Commission but there should be a firm basis to it. The elements who try to discredit the efforts of EC are actually trying to discredit the democratic process of our country,” the law minister said in the presence of chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra and election commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey. In an audio-visual message, vice-president M Vekaiah Naidu lauded the increase in voter participation from 58.2% in 2009 Lok Sabha elections to 66.44% in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and urged that it be taken up further to 75% in the next general elections. The vice-president also made a pitch for simultaneous elections. Meanwhile, Sushil Chandra said that all arrangements were being made for safety of votes and voters in the ensuing state elections. Calling upon the need to curb the influence of money and muscle power in elections, he said an effort has to be made by the society as a whole, and not just the Election Commission, that people with criminal antecedents are discouraged from participating. Rajiv Kumar said that the participation of women electors had gone up by 235% since 1971. Also, young voters now comprise 25% of the country’s electoral base, with their total number at 23 crore, he added. Anup Chandra Pandey appreciated the law ministry for being supportive of all efforts of the Election Commission, including the recent amendments to the Representation of the People Act.