The Election Commission of India (ECI) held its fourth regional conference on Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC 2.0) and ECINet in Goa, with a focus on enhancing electoral awareness and democratic participation among young citizens. Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar said students are the future of the country and that Electoral Literacy Clubs can play a crucial role in strengthening the world’s largest democracy by helping young people understand electoral processes and democratic values.
Interacting with students and teachers from schools, colleges and universities across Goa, the CEC described ELCs as important platforms for developing informed and responsible citizens. He also emphasised that elections in India are conducted in accordance with the Constitution, laws and instructions issued by the ECI, with transparency maintained through the concurrent participation and audit of recognised political parties, candidates and their representatives at various stages of the electoral process.
Under the theme “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy,” ELC 2.0 seeks to transform Electoral Literacy Clubs into structured, visible and digitally enabled platforms across educational institutions. The initiative will use the ECINet digital ecosystem to provide election-related information and services, while promoting year-round activities through a dedicated ELC portal. With India’s vast education network comprising around 15 lakh schools, nearly 25 crore students, over one crore teachers, nearly 1,500 universities and about 70,000 higher education institutions, the programme aims to create a nationwide network of young citizens engaged in informed democratic participation.
The initiative will focus on experiential and factual electoral education, covering voter registration, polling, counting, the ECINet App and other ECI initiatives, while encouraging students to become ambassadors of democratic awareness. Shri Gyanesh Kumar was on a two-day visit to Goa, during which he also interacted with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from across the state. At a session attended by more than 1,000 BLOs on Thursday, he commended their contribution to the smooth conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Goa conference also featured a question-and-answer session, giving students an opportunity to directly engage with the Chief Election Commissioner.
