By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Every vote should be a weapon of social change, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has said. He was addressing the public after the state-level inauguration of National Voters Day held at Ayyankali hall here on Saturday. “Our efforts should be to reach out to all sections of citizens of India, since in a democracy, every citizen is important. This outreach can be individual or collective, but reaching out, we must ensure,” Khan said. This year the voters’ day theme is ‘Electoral Literacy for a stronger democracy’. He also pointed out the electoral evolution of the state where the people celebrate election as a festival. “After formation of the state in 1956, the first Assembly of 1957 had 127 members including one nominated member; now it is 141 members including an Anglo Indian representative. From a polling percentage of 66.62 in 1957, Kerala crossed 80.53 in 1987 and 77.66 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This is an indicator that Kerala is very politically aware. In all these elections, there had been orderly political change based on constitutional principles, because we adhered to a rule-bound electoral politics with minimum electoral deviations and minimum electoral malpractices. That is the power of high literacy and political consciousness,” Khan said. “Our efforts should be to ensure that such awareness and consciousness should be the quality of every voter in India. The Election Commission has taken up the challenge of enhancing voter awareness through systematic campaigns since it believes that voters participation in the democratic and electoral processes is integral to the successful running of any democracy and that enhanced voters’ participation in elections is no more a matter of debate, but a serious assignment,” he added. Khan also called for the idea of electoral awareness which includes knowledge about identity proofs, location of polling stations, use of electronic voting machines, timings of the poll, do’s and don’ts with regard to model code of conduct, stopping of use of money or muscle power or inducements to influence vulnerable sections of the electorate. Chief Secretary Tom Jose also hailed the electoral process in the state over the past 63 years. “The involvement of voters in an election in the state is outstanding. Kerala is the only state which has witnessed various political reforms,” he said. State Police Chief Loknath Behera said that election in the state was like Onam as the people in the state celebrate it. Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena, District Collector K Gopalakrishnan also spoke on the occasion. The event also felicitated students who won awards in various programmes held as part of the National Voter’s day festival. The organisers also felicitated Gomathy Amma, a 102-year old woman who is the senior-most voter in the district. ‘I am constitutional head of state’ T’Puram : “I am the constitutional head of the state. I have the right to advise, warn and counsel the state government,” Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said on Saturday. In a strongly worded reply to the Opposition UDF’s demand to recall him, the governor reiterated that the government should have submitted its key decisions to him first. Khan was responding to Ramesh Chennithala’s proposal to introduce a resolution urging the president to recall the governor, in view of his ‘confrontation’ with the state government. Speaking to mediapersons, Khan said he welcomed Chennithala’s move. Earlier in the day, Chennithala had written to Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan seeking permission to introduce a resolution in the assembly, calling on President Ram Nath Kovind to recall the governor.

Stay updated with all the Latest Kochi headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.