Lucknow, August 24: A delegation from the Election Commission of India, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is on a two-day visit to Uttar Pradesh. At the start of the tour, Kumar referred to Lucknow as his “tapo-bhoomi,” highlighting his educational roots and deep connection to the city. The commission aims to engage young voters, enhance electoral literacy, and strengthen the electoral system at the grassroots level during this visit.
Kumar stated, “Lucknow has been my tapo-bhoomi, where I received my education. We are here to convey a message to the voters of Uttar Pradesh, especially to booth-level officers who are the foundation of democracy.” Programs will also be held at universities and schools to explain the transparency of the electoral process.
Kumar’s academic achievements add significance to this visit. He topped the UP board examinations in high school in 1979 and intermediate in 1981, achieving this distinction among nearly 10 lakh and 6 lakh students, respectively.
On August 24, the Chief Election Commissioner will interact with students at Colvin Talukdar College’s Awadh Auditorium, the same institution where he received his early education. Following this, he will attend a regional conference on ELC 2.0 and ECI-Net at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan’s Jupiter Hall. This regional conference will be conducted in three phases across Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi.
The Lucknow phase will include Deputy District Election Officers, District School Inspectors, and media nodal officers from 20 districts. Additionally, around 1,500 students, teachers, principals, and heads of institutions from 440 educational institutions across 120 assembly constituencies will participate. The conference will provide practical information on voter registration, voting, and counting processes through live demonstrations. The process of connecting educational institutions to ELC 2.0 via the digital platform ECI-Net will also be explained.
The Election Commission of India launched the Electoral Literacy Club (ELC) under the SVEEP program in 2018, aiming to familiarize students and young citizens with democratic values, the electoral process, and the role of the commission. In response to the digital age and changing youth participation, ELC 2.0 is being developed to create active, experiential, and digitally enabled platforms in schools, colleges, and universities throughout the year.
The program will encourage eligible young individuals to register in the voter list and raise awareness about ethical voting, the importance of voting rights, and responsible participation in the democratic process. On the second day, August 25, the Chief Election Commissioner will directly engage with around 500 booth-level officers from Lucknow and surrounding districts at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan’s Mars Hall.
B.L.Os are considered the most crucial link between voters and the electoral system. They play a vital role in updating the voter list, connecting eligible voters, conducting door-to-door outreach, and verifying entries related to deceased and relocated voters.
Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa emphasized that this two-day program will provide students and future voters with practical insights into the electoral process while allowing B.L.Os to share their ground experiences and suggestions directly with the commission. This initiative aims to make the electoral process more effective, accessible, and transparent.
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