New Delhi: Pop icon Remo Fernandez,
mountaineer Bachendri Pal and environmentalist Sundar Lal
Bahuguna were among the brand ambassadors who were on Tuesday honoured by the Election Commission for their contribution to
voters` participation in the recent assembly elections in five
states.
At a function held in Surajkund on the outskirts of Delhi
at the start of a two-day national Conference of Chief
Electoral Officers, the Commission felicitated seven persons
and 21 partner agencies.
The EC`s brand ambassadors included Remo Fernandez,
Bachendri Pal, Sundar Lal Bahuguna, satirist Jaspal Bhatti,
actors A Gokul and H Sarjubala and folk singer Malini Awasthi.
They were presented with a scroll of honour and a shawl each.
Departments and agencies which were felicitated for
significantly contributing to SVEEP (Systematic Voters?
Education and Electoral Participation) efforts of the
Commission included National Service Scheme, Red Cross, Nehru
Yuva Kendra Sangathan, State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank,
Punjab National Bank, Department of Field Publicity, Lucknow,
Youth for Goa (NGO), ISTV Imphal, Jan Sanchar Chetna Trust,
Dehradun, Civil Defence, Dehradun, Industry Association
Uttarakhand, Shri Deven Bisht & Group from Uttarakhand,
Doordarshan, and All India Radio.
While honouring the brand ambassadors Chief Election
Commissioner S Y Quraishi underlined the historic achievements
in voters` participation in recent elections in Goa, Manipur,
Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He noted particularly
the high turnout of women and youth and acknowledged the
contribution of several national and regional icons in
motivating voters, apart from the range of facilitation and
education measures taken by the Commission.
Quraishi called upon banks and post offices to take up
the electoral roll registration work making use of their
contact with the customers.
There was record turnout of voters in the recent assembly
elections and women outnumbered men in all the states
following sustained educational and awareness campaigns.
The Chief Electoral Officers of the 35 States and Union
Territories were present on the occasion besides top officials
of Election Commission.
Election Commissioners V S Sampath and H S Brahma
highlighted the qualitative improvements in recent assembly
elections in five states and called for consolidation of these
in future elections.
Director General of Election Commission of India Akshay
Rout also spoke on the occasion. The brand ambassadors also
presented glimpses of their campaign for voters? participation
in their respective States.
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam and Indian Cricket
captain M S Dhoni are already promoting people?s participation
in electoral process over the last two years at the
Commission’s request, besides other icons like folk singer
Sharda Sinha in Bihar, singer Zubin Garg and actress Nishita
Goswami in Assam, percussionist Bickram Ghosh in West Bengal,
athlete Preeja Sreedharan in Kerela, Rohini, Surya, Karthi,
Suhasini Maniratnam, Gopinath, Vijay Antony, K Srikkanth, J M
Ravi, K S Chtira, H S Prannoy, in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
PTI
