Gandhian Studies Department Organises Interactive-cum-Lecture Session on National Voters’ Day

Chandigarh, January 23, 2026: In observance of National Voters’ Day, an Interactive-cum-Lecture Session was organised for the faculty, non-teaching staff members and students of Department of Gandhian and Peace Studies with the objective of promoting electoral literacy and strengthening democratic awareness.
 
While welcoming the audience chairperson of the department, Professor Manish Sharma introduced the BLOs and emphasised that why we need the democratic election system for the People of India and how we can be good voters by participating in the election process. The session was conducted by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) Dinesh Maurya, Kanupriya Sharma and Anil Kumar Verma, who are having the Panjab University residential area from Block A to Block H. About 60 people attended the event.
 
The programme aimed to familiarise teaching, non-teaching members and students with the constitutional framework of elections in India and to emphasise the importance of informed and ethical participation in the democratic process.
 
During the session, the Booth Level Officers delivered detailed lectures on voter registration, revision of electoral rolls, roles and responsibilities of Booth Level Officers, and the significance of active citizen engagement in elections with practical demos of Form 6, 6A, 7, 8, 8A and issues related to new votes, how to get the rectifications in the old votes or how to delete the votes and so on.
 
The interactive component of the session enabled participants to engage in academic discourse with the resource persons, facilitating a better understanding of electoral administration at the grassroots level. Particular emphasis was placed on sensitizing eligible students and first-time voters regarding procedural aspects of voting and their role in strengthening participatory democracy.
 
The speakers highlighted the relevance of National Voters’ Day as an institutional platform to inculcate democratic values, civic responsibility, and constitutional awareness among the youth. Faculty members acknowledged the academic relevance of such initiatives in complementing classroom learning with practical insights into public administration and governance.
 
At the conclusion of the programme, the faculty members and students collectively took a pledge to participate in the electoral process by casting their votes and to uphold the responsibilities of being informed and ethical voters, thereby reaffirming their commitment to strengthening democracy.
 
On the spot competitions as Essay writing and Slogan writing were organised for the students where around 40 students actively participated in both the events.