Chandigarh - Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer, Sh. Anurag Agarwal said that with the commencement of the general elections of the 18th Lok Sabha in 2024, the festival of elections, ‘Chunav ka Parv Desh ka Garv’, has begun. The sixth phase of elections will be held in Haryana on May 25. Elderly and youth voters and those who have achieved significant achievements in various fields have been made the icons of district elections, with the aim of increasing the voting percentage in the last Lok Sabha elections.
He said that Dharmveer of Palwal district is the oldest voter in Haryana at the age of 118 years. Similarly, Balbir Kaur of Sirsa district is 117 years old, Bhagwani of Sonipat district is 116 years old, Lakkhishek of Panipat district is 115 years old, Chandro Kaur of Rohtak district is 112 years old, Rani of Fatehabad district is 112 years old, and Antidevi of Kurukshetra district, Sarjit Kaur and Chobi Devi are both 111 years old. Similarly, Narayani of Rewari district is 110 years old, Fulla of Kaithal district is 109 years old, Chanderi Devi of Faridabad district is 109 years old, Ramdevi of Jind district is 108 years old, Hari of Nuh district is 108 years old, Meva Devi of Jhajjar district is 106 years old, and Gulzar Singh of Karnal district, Shadkin and Shriram of Hisar district, and Geena Devi of Charkhi Dadri district are 106 years old voters.
He said that Hardei of Bhiwani district is 103 years old and Phoolwati of Yamunanagar is 100 years old. Sh. Agarwal has called upon the media to publish and broadcast interviews of such elderly voters so that young voters can be inspired by them.
Sh. Agarwal informed that Palak, who won the gold medal in shooting at the Asian Games 2023, has been made the icon of Jhajjar district, Adarsh Singh, who won the silver medal in shooting at the 19th Asian Games, has been made the icon of Faridabad district, Suman Devi, who secured the third place in the 19th Senior Para Powerlifting Championship, and Yashika, a player of the state team in the National School Games held in Bhopal, has been made the icon of Panipat district. Similarly, Sarabjot Singh, who won the silver medal in shooting at the 19th Asian Games, has been made the icon of Ambala district. Similarly, Sonam Malik, who won the gold medal in the World Championship, has been made the icon of Sonipat district, Surinder Kaur, an Olympic hockey player, has been made the icon of Kurukshetra district, and Muskan, who won the first place in singing at the National Youth Festival, has been made the icon of Fatehabad district.
Sh. Anurag Agarwal has also urged the Deputy Commissioners and Sub-Divisional Electoral Officers of other districts to make icons of elections in their respective districts. He said that this year the Election Commission of India has made the slogan ‘Chunav ka Parv Desh ka Garv’ the top slogan for Lok Sabha elections so that citizens can participate actively in the elections.
He appealed to the youth of the state, aged 18-19 years, who will vote for the first time, saying that when youth engage with the election process, they will understand the power of democracy and the importance of their vote. Therefore, youth should not miss this opportunity because the festival of democracy comes once in five years."