The Education Ministry and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on February 27 jointly launched a nationwide awareness campaign “Mera pehla vote desh ke liye (my first vote for the country)”, under which various events will be organised in universities, colleges, and higher education institutions to encourage the first-time voters to participate in the upcoming election.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has today issued a clarion call towards making the electoral process more participative and invited people from all walks of life to spread the message of “Mera pehla vote desh ke liye” campaign in their own style among first-time voters. The Prime Minister shared his message via a post on X,” said a Press Information Bureau release.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur also launched the campaign’s anthem via an X post, stating that it was aimed at encouraging young voters to exercise their democratic right to vote.
“I have directed all the higher education institutions in the country to conduct comprehensive voter awareness activities at their campuses from February 28 to March 6,” said Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to the government, the anthem is an effort to contribute to the campaign launched by the Election Commission of India. In his “Mann Ki Baat” address on February 25, Mr. Modi had said that it focused on encouraging first-time voters to participate in the electoral process in large numbers.
The Prime Minister had said the 18th Lok Sabha would be a symbol of aspirations of youth. Mr. Modi had also appealed to influencers on Instagram and YouTube, from the film industry and literature fields, and other professionals to actively participate in the campaign.
As part of the campaign, designated spaces would be identified in universities, colleges and the higher education institutions where the voter awareness activities would be held. “The initiative will witness both on-ground physical events and online competitions on MyGov platform,” said another release.
“Various activities including competitions on blog writing, podcasts, debate, essay writing, quizzes, extempore, battle of bands, etc. will be conducted to show student creativity in content creation. Interactive workshops and seminars emphasising the value of voting, understanding the electoral process etc. will also be organised at the institutions,” it said.
Besides, the campaign will also encourage youth to take the voter’s pledge on the official website ecisveep.nic.in/pledge to further solidify their commitment to the electoral process. They will also be encouraged to download the voter helpline app. Educational institution clubs will also participate in the campaign.
