AMU observes National Voters Day
Aligarh: The ‘National Voters Day’ ceremony aimed at increasing voter enrolment and encouraging participation in the polling process was held at the Administrative Block, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
The University officials with the Registrar, Mr Abdul Hamid (IPS) vowed to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India (ECI) with a pledge for participating ethically in elections.
Administrating the oath to the university staff, Mr Abdul Hamid said: “We, the Citizens of India, having abiding faith in democracy, hereby pledge to uphold the democratic traditions of our country and the dignity of free, fair and peaceful elections, and to vote in every election fearlessly and without being influenced by considerations of religion, race, caste, community, language or any other inducement.”
The assembly included Prof S M Jawed Akhtar (Finance Officer), the Joint Registrar, the Deputy Registrars, all Assistant Registrars and the non-teaching staff of the university.
At the Department of Linguistics, Prof M J Warsi (Chairman) administered the oath to faculty members and non-teaching staff pledging to exercise the right to vote without fear and influences.
The day was observed at the Department of Arabic with a pledge led by Prof Faizan Ahmad (Chairman).
He exhorted faculty members, students and staff to participate in awareness campaigns to enlighten the society on the importance of voting and upholding democratic traditions for free, fair and peaceful elections.
Prof Suboohi Mustafa, Chairperson, Department of Amraz-e-Niswan-wa-Atfal read the oath to faculty members, students and staff at her department.
She spoke on the importance of raising awareness on the right to vote and the importance of casting a vote in a democracy.
“This day aims to encourage citizens and young voters to take active part in the political process,” said Dr Saira Mehnaz, Provost, Begum Sultan Jahan Hall.
She was addressing the Hall residents and staff on the importance of the ‘National Voters’ Day’ after administering the Voters’ oath.
During the observations at the Interdisciplinary Department of Remote Sensing and GIS Applications; teachers, students and non-teaching staff participated in the pledge ceremony and discussed the importance of electoral literacy for a stronger democracy, said Dr Haris Hasan Khan (Chairman).
At the Womens’ College, Prof Naima Khatoon (Principal) pledged with teachers and non-teaching staff to vote in every election. She also spoke on the importance of the Voters’ Day.
Pledge ceremony also took place at the Centre for Distance and Online Education to observe the Voters’ Day. Faculty members and non-teaching staff attended the ceremony.
The Voters’ Day was celebrated at the Sir Syed Hall (North) with the reading of pledge by Prof Ishrat Alam (Provost). All Hall wardens and staff members attended the function.
A Poster making competition and other programmes on the importance of voting were organised at the AMU City Girls’ High School to create awareness among students about the National Voters’ Day. Dr M Alamgir (School Principal) with schools teachers, non-teaching staff and students also pledged to vote and contribute to the electoral political process.