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‘Focus on increasing voter turnout’: PM Modi’s message to parties, citizens
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the voting percentage since the first general election has gone up, but it is still low and needs attention from all political parties
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked political parties and citizens to focus on increasing the voter turnout from panchayat to the general elections.
“In the 75th year of India’s independence, we should resolve that we will ensure a 75% turnout for elections,” he said addressing ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers on the occasion of the National Voters’ Day. He urged the workers to ensure that the overall voter turnout in every election is at least 75%.
Modi said the voting percentage since the first general election (45%) has gone up but is still low and needs attention from all political parties. He added in the last general election in 2019, the percentage went up to 67. “The percentage of women voters...has gone up. In some places, women outnumbered men in turning up for voting. But the voting percentage is still low and this needs everyone’s attention. All political parties and citizens need to think about this.”
Modi expressed concern that in the urban areas, where people have better education and more resources, voter apathy continues and the voting percentage is low. “In urban areas... people discuss issues on social media, (but) still do not vote. This needs to change in a vibrant democracy like India.”
Modi commended the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its initiatives to increase voter participation. He added the ECI made it possible for people to register as voters four times a year and made provisions for postal ballots for those above 80 and for people with disabilities.
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Modi referred to the idea of “one nation, one election”, which he supports, and added discussions on doing away with elections at frequent intervals should continue. He said in a democracy, discussion leads to churning. Modi said how repeated elections affect development needs to be debated. “ “Because of frequent elections, every move is seen through the political prism. For instance, today I wanted to reach out to the Panna Pramukhs (BJP’s workers in charge of each polling list page) and speak to party workers, but I noticed on social media some people commented that Modi is already thinking of elections.”
Modi urged the BJP workers to ensure they remain connected with people and encourage them to participate in the party’s micro-donation exercise. He asked them to ensure participation in the government’s programme to weed out malnutrition.
