National Voters’ Day (NVD) is observed annually across India on 25th January, commemorating the foundation of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in 1950. The day aims to raise awareness about the importance of voting and to encourage active participation in the electoral process and to promote voter registration, especially among the youth.
- 25th January 2025 marks the observance of the 15th NVD and also marks the celebration of 75 years of service of ECI.
- The theme of NVD 2025 is “Nothing Like Voting, I Vote For Sure”, a continuation of the 2024 theme.
Background:
i.The 1st-ever NVD was celebrated in 2011 to mark the foundation day of the ECI.
- ECI is a permanent Constitutional Body, established on 25 January 1950 by the Constitution of India.
ii.The NVD was approved during a Cabinet meeting, with Dr. Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister (PM) of India in 2011.
Points to Note:
i.The right to vote is enshrined in Article 326 of the Indian Constitution, recognizing it as a fundamental right for eligible citizens.
ii.The 61st Amendment of the Constitution of India (Constitution (61st Amendment) Act, 1989), lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18 years for elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
Significance:
i.The day focuses on enrolling new voters and distributing voter identity cards, known as Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC).
ii.The day motivates 1st-time voters to participate in the electoral process by registering to vote and obtaining their voter identity (ID) cards.
2025 Events:
On January 25th, 2025, the ECI hosted a National event in New Delhi (Delhi) with President Droupadi Murmu as the Chief Guest and Union Minister, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Ministry of State (MoS) (Independent Charge, IC), Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J), as the Guest of Honour.
- This year’s 2025 celebration follows the historic and successful conduct of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, hailed as the largest democratic exercise in history.
- The event, celebrating the voters of India assumes a grand scale this year 2025 that India’s total electorate was approaching 100 crore mark.
Best Electoral Practices Awards 2024:
President Murmu presented the ‘Best Electoral Practices Awards for 2024’, recognizing outstanding performances by state and district officers in various aspects of election management including innovations in outreach, technology, and voter accessibility.
- Awards were also given to government departments and media organizations that contributed to voter awareness campaigns.
Other Highlights:
i.The 1st copy of the ECI Coffee Table Book titled “India Votes 2024: A saga of democracy” was presented to the President Droupadi Murmu by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
- The publication is a tribute to every voter, election official, security personnel and all the stakeholders who contributed to the success of the 18th Lok Sabha elections.
ii.A short clip of the upcoming docu-drama series “India Decides” produced by Warner Bros Discovery was released at the event.
- The 3-part series dives deep into the history and making of the largest elections in the world.
iii.An ECI publication “Belief in the Ballot: Human stories shaping India’s 2024 elections” was presented to President Droupadi Murmu.
- The book is a curated set of human interest stories that set these elections apart.
iv.Multimedia Exhibition: A multimedia exhibition was showcased, highlighting the key aspects of the 2024 elections with interactive and immersive experiences.
v.International Conference:The 2-day International Conference titled “Global Election Year 2024: Reiteration of Democratic Spaces” was held in New Delhi (Delhi) India and was hosted by the Election Commission (EC) on the occasion of NVD.
- The aim of the conference was to deliberate on common concerns related to electoral integrity, including the challenges posed by misinformation.
- It sought to address and discuss strategies to safeguard democratic processes, especially in the context of the upcoming elections in 2024.
Key People: Representatives from ECs and Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of countries including Mauritius, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Namibia, Indonesia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Tunisia, Ireland, and Georgia attended the International Conference.
Note:
i.The electoral database has reached 99.1 crore in January 2024, with a youthful and balanced representation of genders.
- There are 21.7 crore young voters in the 18-29 age group.
ii.The Electoral Gender Ratio was improved by 6 points, increasing from 948 in 2024 to 954 in 2025.
About Election Commission of India (ECI):
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) – Rajiv Kumar
Election Commissioner (EC)– Gyanesh Kumar ; Sukhbir Singh Sandhu
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Established – 1950
