ECI Highlights Role of Students in Strengthening Democracy Through Electoral Literacy
Chennai: The Election Commission of India (ECI) organised its third regional conference on “Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC 2.0) and ECINET” in Chennai, focusing on strengthening electoral awareness and democratic participation among young citizens.
Addressing students and teachers from schools, colleges and universities across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that “students of today are the torchbearers of democracy tomorrow.”
He emphasised that engaging young citizens and building their trust and informed participation in the electoral process is an investment in the future of democracy.
ELC 2.0 to Promote Electoral Literacy
The ECI's ELC 2.0 initiative carries the tagline “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy.” It aims to transform Electoral Literacy Clubs into structured, visible and digitally enabled platforms across schools, colleges and universities.
The initiative will focus on helping young and first-time voters understand:
- India's electoral system and democratic values
- Electoral registration
- Polling and counting processes
- The role and functioning of the Election Commission
- Election-related digital services
- Rights and responsibilities of voters
The ECI plans to use the ECINET digital platform to support year-round electoral literacy activities through a dedicated ELC portal and create a wider network of Electoral Literacy Clubs across the country.
Focus on Young and First-Time Voters
CEC Gyanesh Kumar said students and young electors should become familiar with India's electoral processes and democratic institutions.
Through ELC 2.0, educational institutions are expected to become important platforms for factual and experiential electoral education, enabling students to become ambassadors of informed democratic participation.
The initiative has a significant potential reach given India's large education system, which includes approximately 15 lakh schools, nearly 25 crore students and more than one crore teachers. The higher education sector has around 1,500 universities and 70,000 educational institutions, with approximately 4.33 crore students.
CEC Interacts With Booth Level Officers
Earlier in the day, CEC Gyanesh Kumar also interacted with more than 500 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from Tamil Nadu.
He congratulated the BLOs for their contribution to the smooth implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls in the state.
He also highlighted the high voter participation recorded during the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, where 4.93 crore votes were polled and voter turnout reached 86.03%, described as the highest in the state's history.
Students and BLOs also participated in question-and-answer sessions with the Chief Election Commissioner, allowing them to seek clarification on issues related to the electoral process.
Key Highlights
- Organiser: Election Commission of India
- Conference: Regional Conference on ELC 2.0 and ECINET
- Venue: Chennai
- Participants: Students and teachers from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
- ELC 2.0 tagline: “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy.”
- Focus: Electoral literacy and democratic awareness
- Target: Schools, colleges and universities
- Key digital platform: ECINET
- CEC: Gyanesh Kumar
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