Abdul Chaudary | Mumbai
Wire Centre
CEC Gyanesh Kumar ELC 2.0 Lucknow: The Election Commission of India (ECI) held its second regional conference on “Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC 2.0) and ECINET” in Lucknow on Monday, bringing together students and teachers from schools and colleges across Uttar Pradesh to strengthen electoral literacy and democratic awareness among young citizens. Addressing the gathering, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar described students as the future of the nation, stressing that Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) are essential to carrying forward knowledge of electoral processes and enriching democracy.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar ELC 2.0 Lucknow – CEC Outlines India’s Electoral Process
Kumar explained that elections in India are conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, electoral law, and ECI instructions, under the concurrent audit of political parties, candidates, and their representatives at every stage. He underlined the need to familiarise young electors with India’s electoral system, democratic values, voter registration, polling and counting procedures, and the role of the Election Commission. CEC Kumar noted that building trust and informed participation among young citizens is, in effect, an investment in the future of democracy.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar ELC 2.0 Lucknow – “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy”
ELC 2.0, carrying the tagline “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy,” aims to help young and first-time voters not just understand democracy but actively participate in and contribute to it. Earlier in the day, Kumar visited his alma mater, Colvin Taluqdar’s College, and interacted with teachers and students there. On the second day of his visit, he is scheduled to hold an interaction with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) of Uttar Pradesh.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar ELC 2.0 Lucknow – What ELC 2.0 and ECINET Involve
ELC 2.0 reimagines Electoral Literacy Clubs as structured, digitally enabled platforms across schools, colleges, and universities, with year-round activities to promote electoral literacy among young citizens and their families and communities. The initiative will run on the ECINET digital platform, which offers election-related services “from roll to poll,” supported by a dedicated ELC portal.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar ELC 2.0 Lucknow – The Scale of the Push
The push is significant given the scale of India’s education system — nearly 15 lakh schools with close to 25 crore students and over one crore teachers, alongside roughly 1,500 universities and 70,000 higher education institutions enrolling an estimated 4.33 crore students. Through this network, ELC 2.0 aims to promote factual, experiential electoral education, build awareness about the transparency and credibility of India’s electoral system, and encourage young citizens to become ambassadors of informed democratic participation. The clubs will also disseminate information on electoral registration, polling, counting, and the ECINET App.