Judge candidates in elections on merit: Venkaiah Naidu

As the country celebrates the 12th National Voters Day on January 25, Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the need to make elections a more inclusive exercise.

He sent a message on this crucial day which was read out in an event in Delhi. Naidu has contracted Covid-19 positive and he is in home isolation in Hyderabad.

In a message to the nation, Naidu is of the view that no voter should be left behind from the election process and everyone should participate in it to strengthen democracy. He also asked the people to judge the contestants on the basis of their merits rather than anything else.

A press statement released by the Vice President's Secretariat said, “Referring to the increase in voter turnout from 44.87% in the first general elections to Lok Sabha during 1951-52 to the highest ever 67.40% for the 17th Lok Sabha in 2019, marking an increase of 50% in voting, Shri Naidu complimented all stakeholders for the same.”

“Alluding to the sustained efforts of the Election Commission of India in this regard striving for excellence during the 70 years of the country's electoral journey, Shri Naidu hailed the Commission as a credible, responsive and forward looking institution every votary of democracy can legitimately be proud of,” it added.

Naidu is of the view 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.

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