National Voters’ Day

About National Voters’ Day (NVD)

• It has been celebrated on January 25 every year since 2011, across the country to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India, i.e. 25th January 1950.
• Purpose: The main purpose of the NVD celebration is to create electoral awareness amongst citizens and encourage them to participate in the electoral process.
• Dedicated to the voters of the country, the National Voters' Day is also used to facilitate enrolment of voters, especially the newly eligible young voters.
• New voters are felicitated and handed over their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) in the NVD functions held across the country.
• NVD is celebrated at the national, state, district, constituency and polling booth levels, which makes it one of the largest celebrations in the country.
• NVD 2024 theme - ‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote For sure’ 
• On January 25, 2024, the Election Commission of India celebrates its 75th year of service to the Nation. 

Key facts about the Election Commission of India

• It is an autonomous and permanent constitutional body responsible for organizing free and fair elections in India.
• The Constitution grants the ECI with the power of direction, superintendence, and control of elections to Parliament, state legislatures, the office of president of India, and the office of vice-president of India.
• Powers and responsibilities ECI:
  • Determining the Electoral Constituencies’ territorial areas throughout the country.
  • Preparing and periodically revising electoral rolls and registering all eligible voters.
  • Notifying the schedules and dates of elections and scrutinizing nomination papers.
  • Granting recognition to the various political parties and allocating them election symbols.
  • The Commission also has advisory jurisdiction in the matter of post-election disqualification of sitting members of Parliament and State Legislatures.
• It issues the Model Code of Conduct in elections for political parties and candidates so that no one indulges in unfair practice or there is no arbitrary abuse of powers by those in power.
• Composition: The commission consists of a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commissioners (ECs).

Q1) What is the Model Code of Conduct?

It is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India for the conduct of political parties and candidates during elections mainly with respect to speeches, meetings, processions, polling day, polling booths, observers, party in power, election manifestos, and general conduct. 

Source: 14th National Voters’ Day (NVD) to be celebrated on 25th January 2024