THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, April 20: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Chandrachud urged citizens not to miss the opportunity to vote in the general elections, saying that it is the most important duty in a constitutional democracy.
Justice Chandrachud, in a video message for the ‘My Vote My Voice’ mission of the Election Commission for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said, “We are citizens of the world’s largest democracy, which is our country”.
“The Constitution gives us a multitude of rights as citizens but it also expects that each of us performs the duty, which is cast upon us. And one of the foremost duties of citizenship is to cast a vote in a constitutional democracy,” he said.
Every five years, five minutes for our country
He said that in a constitutional democracy, one of the most important duties of citizenship is to vote. “I will request every one of you please do not miss this opportunity to vote responsibly as citizens of our great motherland. Five minutes, every five years for our nation. It’s doable, isn’t it? Let’s vote with pride. My vote, my voice,” the CJI said.
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Justice Chandrachud stated that citizen participation is crucial in electing the government, emphasizing that the government belongs to the people, by the people, and for the people. He recalled his enthusiasm when he first became a voter and stood in line at the polling station to exercise his voting rights.
One citizen, one vote and one value
He further stated that, “The ink on the finger when I vote allows tremendous feelings of patriotism and association with the nation,” he said.
“So our Constitution and our law provides for one citizen, one vote and one value. I think that’s the great tenacity and the power of our nation as a constitutional democracy,” he added.
The Chief Justice said that even when he was a lawyer and had to rush around for work, he never missed fulfilling his duty to vote.
The elections for the 543 members of the Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.
