"Free and fair elections are the rhythmic heartbeat of democracy. Active participation of the citizens, imparts life to democracy," Alva said today at a programme on the occasion of National Voters' Day.
"The scale of India's democracy is truly breathtaking. The geographical spread, the diversity of the terrain in which elections are conducted, as also the size of the electorate, make India's electoral process not only the biggest exercise in the world but also one of the most unique expressions of democracy," she said.
"We can take pride in the fact that we affect peaceful transition of governments through the ballot," she added.
Alva, however, said that the Election Commission has found that a large segment of youth who are above the age of 18 were missing from the electoral rolls year after year.
In fact, in many states the level of their enrolment is as low as 30
