Nagaland CEO urges voters to vote without fear

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Nagaland Sentiyanger Imchen today appealed to the people, specially the first time voters, to come out and cast their vote without fear during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 9 in the state.
In his address at the inaugural function of a three-day Voter's Awareness Campaign here, the CEO said the Election Commission had recently started a programme called Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) with the objective of citizens' participation in the democratic process.
Observing that the election was a complex process, specially for a common person, Imchen said SVEEP was not only about creating awareness, but also about informing people on the various election-related laws and procedures in the far flung areas, who are unaware about how to vote and enrol themselves.

Expressing satisfaction on the SVEEP activities carried out in Nagaland, he said there have been instances of proxy, multiple voting and booth capturing during elections in the past and more awareness needs to be created laying emphasis on one man one vote.
The CEO further said the State Election Department has partnered with Youth Net and NBCC to encourage young voters in exercising their franchise and also aiming at clean elections.
Delivering the welcome address, Assistant Director, Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) Manikant Thakur said DAVP in collaboration with the EC was running a Voters Awareness Campaign across the country to encourage voter's participation.

Appreciating the people of Nagaland, he said the state has the distinction of registering highest voter turnout in the country.