Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern on Tuesday over low voter turnout, particularly in educated and rich metropolitan regions, and stated that this must change in a thriving democracy like India.
Modi also emphasised the concerns of “one nation, one election” and “one nation, one voters’ list” in an encounter with BJP workers from throughout the country, saying that the continual cycle of elections results in politics being visible in everything while development efforts suffer.
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On Tuesday, he gave a speech that coincided with National Voters’ Day.
While noting that voter turnout increased from 45% in the first Lok Sabha elections in 1951-52 to 67% in 2019, he noted that the rise in female voter turnout was a good thing, but that everyone, from people to members of various political parties, should be concerned about low polling.
He noted that low polling is found in metropolitan regions that are deemed educated and rich, regretting that residents debate elections on social media but do not vote.
Modi instructed the BJP‘s “panna pramukhs” and other ground workers to ensure that 75% of voters vote in each election.
The prime minister praised the Election Commission for its various measures to enhance polling, calling it “the most sacred donation” to build democracy.
He claimed that the recently passed legislation requiring voters to link their Aadhaar number to their voter ID would increase transparency.
He said that discussing “one nation, one election” and “one nation, one voters’ list” would allow alternative perspectives to emerge.
Even this meeting with BJP “panna pramukhs,” individuals in charge of one page of a booth’s voter list, is related to elections, he said, adding that he had been arranging such a meeting for some time.
Beginning next month, assembly elections will be contested in seven phases in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur.
Initially intended solely for Gujarat BJP workers, the audio interaction was eventually expanded to include party members from around the country.
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Modi has advocated for simultaneous elections for all levels of government, from the Lok Sabha to state legislatures and municipal governments, claiming that periodic elections stymie development efforts and lead to people impugning political motives.
Modi commended the Election Commission on National Voters’ Day, which commemorates the poll watchdog’s founding in 1950, and underlined that it had broad backing from various political parties and institutions.
The EC also has powers that its equivalents in other democracies do not, such as issuing notifications and transferring officers, he added, saying that the framers of the Constitution realised that a vibrant democracy could only be achieved through a strong and unbiased electoral process.
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Modi also asked BJP workers to undertake a campaign against malnutrition with public engagement so that a healthy India emerges by 2047, the country’s centennial year.
He also urged them to encourage more people to join the BJP through its micro-donation campaign.
