India has 2.49 lakh voters aged above 100: CEC Rajiv Kumar

There are 249 lakh voters aged above 100 in India Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on WednesdayBesides 180 crore voters are over 80 years of age Kumar said after flagging off a bicycle rally in Maharashtras Pune city on Wednesday to create an awareness about voter registration as part of the national level launch of a special summary revision of the voters listThe Election Commission of Indias initiative is aimed at increasing the electoral rolls in urban areasExplaining the robustness and beauty of the Indian electoral rolls Kumar said the country has voters from the highest peaks of Himalayas from the 6000km coastline in south deserts in the west and regions from the eastYou will be happy to know we have close to 249 lakh voters in our rolls who are aged 100 plus and what a relief and ecstasy it gives when you interact with them and find that they have been voting all through their lives he saidAlso Read Supreme Court seeks replies of Centre Election Commission on PIL seeking voting rights for prisonersBesides there are 180 crore voters who are above 80 years of age he told reporters after the rallyThe CEC said Indias first voter Shyam Saran Negi who recently died was 106 years old and voted through postal ballot just three days before his death That is the spirit he addedKumar said the summary revision takes place every year but this year they are doing a very focused activity and starting it all over the country from Pune with a specific purpose to increase the participation of citizens from urban areasWhat does it mean Everywhere in the country and the farthest possible states be it hills coastal lines everywhere inaccessible terrains deserts everywhere every single citizen gets enlisted as a voter and strengthens the democracy by not only getting registered but also casting hisher vote the CEC saidKumar said they want to request all voters in the urban areas all the youth to come participate get registered and voteIt is only through your voting that the democratic traditions become absolutely robust and strong the CEC saidSome of the cities I am not naming them do not really do that kind of voting and there is a whole lot of ground which we have to cover in urban areas that is why this rally was organised to create awareness he saidKumar flagged off the bicycle rally at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Punes Balewadi areaHe later told reporters that there are some advanced big metro cities where apathy is seen among the urban voters but it is expected that these cities should also participate in voting wholeheartedly and help strengthen the democracyThe same applies to the youth also If they can put forth their views on WhatsApp they can very well put forth their opinion on casting votes he saidKumar said Pune has been chosen for the national launch of the special summary revision of the voters list as it is the city of knowledge and the message gets spread faster fromWhen pointed out that Pune had recorded a low voting percentage the CEC said Yes there is little apathyNotably in the 2019 general elections the overall voting percentage for the Pune Lok Sabha constituency was 4984 per centKumar said on the day of voting a holiday is declared as per the Negotiable Instruments Act and some people think lets enjoy the holiday instead of going and casting vote but they should go and vote as holidays are always thereKumar said the importance of special summary revision is that if anyone is left and not included as a voter he or she will be included through this initiativeAlso young voters who are turning 18 on qualifying dates have a chance to get enrolled he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever