CEC Urges Academia to Boost Electoral Literacy Through ELC 2.0

GG News Bureau
Patna, 17th Aug: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday called upon educational institutions to play a greater role in strengthening electoral literacy and promoting informed democratic participation, while launching the revamped Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC 2.0) at a conference held at Gyan Bhawan in Patna.

Addressing the conference on “Electoral Literacy Clubs and ECINet,” the CEC said schools, colleges and universities have an important responsibility in building trust in electoral processes and familiarising young citizens with India’s democratic system.

He said elections in India are conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, electoral laws and the Election Commission’s guidelines, with transparency ensured through concurrent audits by political parties, candidates and their representatives at every stage.

Emphasising youth participation, Gyanesh Kumar said informed engagement by young citizens is an investment in the future of Indian democracy. He urged educational institutions to educate students about voter registration, polling, counting procedures and the functioning of the Election Commission of India.

The Election Commission also unveiled the new logo of the Electoral Literacy Club along with its new tagline, “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy.” The initiative seeks to encourage first-time voters not only to understand democratic processes but also to actively participate in strengthening them.

ELC 2.0 has been designed as a structured and digitally enabled platform that will operate throughout the year in schools, colleges and universities. The programme will leverage the ECINet digital platform, allowing institutions across the country to conduct electoral literacy activities through a dedicated portal.

The Commission said the initiative assumes significance given India’s vast educational network of nearly 15 lakh schools, around 25 crore students, over one crore teachers, nearly 1,500 universities, 70,000 higher educational institutions, and 4.33 crore students enrolled in higher education.

According to the Election Commission, ELC 2.0 aims to promote factual and experiential electoral education, spread awareness about the transparency and credibility of India’s electoral system, and encourage young citizens to become ambassadors of informed democratic participation within their families and communities.

Earlier during his two-day visit to Bihar, the CEC also interacted with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at the Rajgir International Convention Centre in Nalanda and conducted field visits to Madhubani, Vaishali and Nalanda.