BI News, Ranchi: The Jharkhand Education Department, in coordination with the Election Department, is making extraordinary efforts to register millions of young voters in Jharkhand. Spearheaded by Chief Electoral Officer Shri K. Ravi Kumar, this initiative aims to engage students in 11th and 12th grade, aged between 17 and 18, to sign up as prospective voters.
Using the E-Vidya Vahini portal, the campaign has successfully identified and marked 9.4 lakh potential voters across various districts, which have been sent to the district election officers. If this model proves successful, it has the potential to engage millions of new voters in future Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections.
In an effort to improve coordination between the Education and Election Departments, Chief Electoral Officer Shri K. Ravi Kumar held a virtual meeting on Saturday with district-level officials, including District Education Officers, Assistant District Education Officers, EROs, AEROs, and Block Education Extension Officers. During the meeting, he directed all officials to establish better coordination and conduct an intensive three-day campaign to facilitate the submission of advance Form-6 by prospective young voters in the state.
This campaign has involved around two million students, split into two categories: those whose age will turn 18 by January 1, 2024, and those whose age will reach 18 by October 1, 2024, or earlier. Officials have appealed to all individuals involved to put in their best efforts to ensure that the youth voters’ awareness is created and that no voter is left behind.
It’s worth noting that currently, this campaign is primarily focused on students affiliated with the Jharkhand Academic Council. However, soon, it will expand to include students from other educational boards, including the CBSE and ICSE. In this virtual meeting, Special Secretary Smt. Geeta Choubey and Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Shri Sanjay Kumar were also present.
This initiative is a commendable step towards engaging the youth in the democratic process and ensuring that their voices are heard in the upcoming elections.
