From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Jan 24: The Election Commission of India (ECI) will be observing January 25 as the National Voters' Day every year.

The ECI, which was set up on January 25, 1950, conducted 15 Lok Sabha elections so far, has decided to hold various events from booth level to State level to create awareness among the youth about enrolment of their names in the electoral roles and significance of voting.

The National Voters' Day celebrations, being started on an annual basis from this year, will be inaugurated by Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj at Town Hall in the City on Tuesday.

Chief Electoral Officer C S Suranjana said voters will be given Election Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) on this day at their polling stations.

He also released posters and pamphlets containing message – “Your Vote Your Voice.”

Newly registered voters in each polling station would be felicitated on January 25 every year in a brief ceremony.

This was expected to inculcate in the new voters a commitment to democratic electoral process and should lead to greater participation, he said.

“This will also serve as a reminder to all other eligible electors in the polling booth area towards their responsibility to participate in the electoral process,” the CEO explained.

The initiative was expected to give the youth a sense of responsible citizenship, empowerment, pride and participation and inspire them to exercise their newly acquired franchise, when occasion arises, he said.

In order to effectively deal with the problem of electoral rolls, the ECI has decided to take up vigorous exercise to identify al eligible votes attaining the age of 18 years as on January 1 every year, in each of the 8.5 lakh polling station areas of the country.