Youth urged to exercise right to vote

The ‘MYBharat MYVote’ awareness rally was taken out as part of National Voters’ Day week celebrations in Anantapur on Tuesday. The rally was held under the joint auspices of the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, MYBharat, and the NSS Unit of JNTU-Anantapur Oil Technological and Pharmaceutical Research Institute (OPTRI) College.

The event was flagged off by JNTU-A NSS Programme Coordinator G. Mamatha, JNTUA OTPRI Director G.V. Subba Reddy, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports MYBharat Representative Bisathi Bharath, MYBharat programme in-charge G. Srinivasulu and national awardees Bisati Jeevan Kumar and K. Jaya Maruthi.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Bisathi Bharath said that every citizen, especially the youth, must understand the power and value of a vote. “Though India has the largest youth population in the world, their participation in the elections still needs to improve. Young people who are above 18 years of age should use their Constitutional right of voting to elect capable and ethical leadership,” Mr. Bisathi Bharath said.

Mr. Bisathi Bharath appealed to the youth to register on the National Voters’ Portal, actively exercise their franchise, and contribute meaningfully to the democracy. They highlighted that the MYBharat MYVote campaign, initiated by the Government of India, aims to inspire and sensitise first-time voters to enrol and cast their vote in the general, States and local body elections.

Referring to the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative of the Election Commission of India (ECI), they urged youth and first-time voters to register through Form 6, 7 and Form 6A and stressed that informed participation was essential in building a strong and Viksit Bharat.