Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Sep 11: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Friday said the Election Commission of India (ECI) was committed to ensuring that every citizen who attains the age of 18 becomes a registered voter and exercises the right to vote.

Speaking to IANS, Kumar said his interaction with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during his visit to Gujarat was encouraging and highlighted the crucial role of grassroots-level election officials in increasing voter participation.

“The interaction with the BLOs was very good, and the Election Commission’s objective is that every citizen of India who has completed 18 years of age must become a voter and must also cast their vote,” he said.

Kumar said the campaign should cover citizens irrespective of their religion, age, gender or social background.

“Whether they belong to any religion, whether they are young people in our families, elderly people in our families, women or men in our families, persons with disabilities or LGBT individuals, everyone has to join this campaign,” he said.

To make the campaign successful, around 11 lakh Booth Level Officers across the country and more than 15 lakh Booth Level Agents representing political parties are involved, the CEC said.

Kumar also urged citizens to download the ECI Net App and use it to seek assistance with voter-related issues.

“I will request everyone to download the ECI Net App. When they enter their voter number and face any problem, they can click on the ‘Book a Call’ option. The BLOs will then contact them and resolve their issues,” he said.

“We want to assure every citizen who has reached the age of 18 years that they should exercise their right to vote,” Kumar added.

The CEC arrived in Gujarat on Thursday for a two-day official visit. Speaking to the media after arriving at Ahmedabad Airport, he expressed his delight at visiting Gujarat, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel.

Kumar said the purpose of his visit was to interact directly with ground-level election officials, including BLOs, as well as members of Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) from across the state.

He emphasised that grassroots election officials and young members of electoral literacy clubs serve as an important link between the Election Commission and citizens.

During his visit, Kumar paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram. Later in the evening, he visited the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) campus, where he interacted with prominent citizens on the theme, ‘Conducting Elections in India - The World’s Largest Democracy’.