Today on National Voter’s Day we are reminded that we are living in one of the most vibrant and free democracies in the world. It gives me great pleasure to congratulate all citizens, especially the newly enrolled voters. The electoral process in India is truly unique and this has been achieved only because of the enormous participation of people throughout this country from all walks of life.
On this day I call upon every single person of these Islands who has attained the age of 18 as on 1st January, 2018 to enroll themselves as a voter. I request them to ensure that they receive the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) and most importantly, I also call upon them to exercise their right to vote at the appropriate time. Through consistent efforts, we have achieved an electoral roll of 2.84 lakhs voters in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands following the recently concluded Roll Revision exercise.
The theme of this year’s National Voter’s Day is “Accessible Elections” and special focus around the theme is facilitating Divyangs in the electoral process. I am confident that the people of these Islands will heed this call and ensure that this theme is realized in this Union Territory, thus helping to ensure that India continues to be a strong, vibrant and inclusive democracy. The NVD Pledge that we all would be taking today is a reaffirmation of our faith in ourselves, our country and our democracy.
I once again convey my best wishes to every Indian citizen on this happy occasion of National Voter’s Day and appeal to everyone to make it a great success by becoming an integral part of the democratic electoral process.
Sd/-
(Admiral D K Joshi)
PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (Retd)
Lieutenant Governor
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
