CEC Gyanesh Kumar Postpones UP, Himachal and Uttarakhand Visits Officials Call It Routine Rescheduling
Electoral literacy conferences in Meerut and Varanasi deferred; EC says similar visits to other states and Ladakh were also rescheduled earlier.
New Delhi, Sep 25: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has postponed his scheduled visits to Uttar Pradesh to attend regional conferences of electoral literacy clubs in Meerut and Varanasi, with Election Commission officials describing the change as part of routine rescheduling.
The communication informing officials about the postponement was issued on September 21, two days before the controversy over reported differences among the Election Commissioners emerged on September 23.
Officials rejected any connection between the two developments, pointing out that the decision to defer the Uttar Pradesh programmes had been taken before the controversy came to light.
They also said that similar electoral literacy-related visits to Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand had been postponed earlier, indicating that changes to the CEC’s tour schedule were not unusual.
The Election Commission has meanwhile stepped up efforts to engage younger voters, particularly members of Generation Alpha and Generation Z, ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Under its revamped electoral literacy campaign, the poll panel plans to reach students from Classes 9 to 12 as well as those enrolled in colleges and universities.
The initiative will cover educational institutions across all 4,123 assembly constituencies in the country, with the objective of increasing awareness about the electoral process among young citizens.
