“Only active participation by citizens in the electoral process will strengthen democracy andensure the election of a strong democratic government,” Principal District and Sessions Judge Umesh Adiga has said.
He was inaugurating the National Voters Day programme organised by the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP), the Dharwad District Administration and the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in Dharwad on Tuesday.
Mr. Adiga said that every citizen who has completed 18 years of age should compulsorily get one’s name enrolled in the voter list.This apart, he should exercise his franchise compulsorily. Refraining from casting one’s vote will amount to abstaining from exercising one’s rights and duties envisaged in the Constitution, he said.
“Elections are the lifeline of a democratic set-up and to elect an eligible politician, every vote polled by voters holds the key. Therefore, to keep alive democracy and elect a government of one’s choice, 100% participation in polling is necessary,” he emphasised.
Presiding over the programme, Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Nitesh Patil said that Voters Day should be celebrated as a national festival. Voting being the biggest weapon given to citizens by the Constitution, every citizen should understand the significance of it and exercise it cautiously, he said.
Mr. Patil said that exercising one’s vote is the bounden duty of all and people should become stakeholders in the progress of the country by casting their votes.
8,000 new voters
He said that the process of enrolling names in the voter list is conducted throughout the year. Last January, there were 15.40 lakh voters in the district and the number has increased to 15.48 lakh voters now. Nearly 8,000 new voters have enrolled themselves in the voter list, of which 4,725 are male and 3,258 female.Of the total population 21.70 lakh in Dharwad district, there are 15.48 lakh voters now, which is 71.08%, he said.
Senior Judge Pushpalata C.M., Hubballi Dharwad Police Commissioner Labhu Ram, Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat B. Susheela, Municipal Commissioner B. Gopalkrishna, Superintendent of Police P. Krishnakant and others participated in the programme.
