Vice Prez Venkaiah Naidu calls for 75% voter turnout in next general elections
India Today
The Vice President expressed delight over women voting more than men in the 2019 general elections for the first time in 70 years, ending the gender gap in India.
Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu today urged the Election Commission and the citizens to ensure a voter turnout of 75% in the next general elections to make electoral democracy more inclusive. He also sought consensus on simultaneous polls to sustain the tempo of development.
In a message on the occasion of the 12th National Voters Day today, Naidu stressed that no voter should be left behind and urged the citizens to judge the contestants in the elections on merit.
As Naidu is in home isolation in Hyderabad after testing corona positive, his address was read out at the event in New Delhi.
Naidu noted that the challenge before the Election Commission is to ensure a steady increase in voting in every election to make our electoral democracy more inclusive by addressing the barriers to voter participation.
The Vice President urged, “In the 75th year of our Independence, let us resolve to leave no voter behind and aim to increase the voter turnout to at least 75% in the next general elections. Let each one realize that voting is not only a right but a responsibility. We, as a nation, must think and arrive at a consensus to have simultaneous polls to all the three tiers of federal set up and move towards better governance by focusing our attention on the all round development of our people.”
Naidu referred to the substantial 8% increase in voter turnout from 58.21% in the 2009 general elections to 66.44% in 2014, suggesting that it is feasible to reach a 75% voter turnout target from 67.40% in 2019.
He complimented the SVEEP (Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation) initiative of the Election Commission launched in 2009 for improving voter participation.