VIJAYAWADA: Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan has said that those who do not vote have no moral right to claim fundamental rights given by the Constitution and criticise the policies of the elected government. Participating in the 10th National Voters’ Day celebrations here on Saturday, the Governor described the right to vote as the most important fundamental right and said it was the most potent weapon in the hands of people.
“There is no difference between the vote of a great man and a commoner. Even if they are great people, when they fail to stand in the line and vote on the day of elections, they have no right to call themselves citizens,” the Governor opined. Citing various fundamental rights, the Governor said one should understand that those who do not vote cannot find fault with the government, which may not measure up to their expectations in ensuring those fundamental rights are respected.
“Come and stand in queue and vote. This is your nation... world’s largest democracy. It is your duty to vote and protect democracy, and citizens should not forget it,” he maintained. Chief Electoral Officer K Vijayanand said right to vote was an important instrument of change in democracy,
hence every eligible person should obtain voter identity card. “Those who have not enrolled themselves as voters should enrol now and those who have enrolled should make sure that their names are in the rolls during the ongoing summary revision,” he said. As on December 23, the number of voters stood at 3.36 crore in the State and the final list of voters will be released on February 14, 2020.
He requested all the eligible youngsters to get themselves enrolled as voters and obtain photo identity cards. State Election Commissioner N Ramesh Kumar, elaborating on the evolution of democracy, said India was the biggest democracy in the world, where elections were held in a free, fair and unbiased manner. He said it was rather unfortunate that voters in rural areas are more aware of the importance of their right to vote and effectively use it, while the most of the educated in the urban areas ignore their right to vote oblivious to the impact it has on their lives and society.
The Governor presented Best Electoral Practices Awards - 2019. Additional DGP A Ravi Shankar was given the award for best election management, Krishna District Collector A Md Imtiaz was given the award for accessible elections, IAS officer Karthikeya Mishra bagged the award for best Electoral Rolls Management and Kurnool SP Fakeerappa bagged the award for best IT initiatives. District level officials were also presented awards in different categories. The first three winners of the State level essay writing and elocution contests in senior and junior categories were also given mementoes and cash prizes.