Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar At Lucknow Airport (Img: X)
Lucknow: Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for 2027, the Election Commission of India has announced a series of programmes to educate students about the electoral process and strengthen voter awareness across the state.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, during his two-day visit to Lucknow on Monday, said schools, colleges and universities in Uttar Pradesh will host special programmes aimed at explaining the transparency and functioning of the electoral system.
Speaking to reporters after arriving in Lucknow, Kumar said the initiative will especially focus on students and young voters. He highlighted the importance of Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) in helping citizens understand their democratic rights and responsibilities.
The CEC said the Election Commission wants electoral awareness activities to become a regular part of educational institutions rather than being limited to election periods.
CEC arrives in Lucknow for a two-day visit. He will address around 1,500 students, VCs, principals and teachers at the Electoral Literacy Clubs & ECI-NET conference today, followed by an interaction with around 500 BLOs tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5EmWbqPhUI
— Dynamite News (@DynamiteNews_) August 24, 2026
The Election Commission is redesigning its Electoral Literacy Clubs under the new ELC 2.0 initiative, which aims to make voter education more interactive, digital and experience-based.
The programme, launched in 2018 under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative, will now focus on year-round activities in schools, colleges and universities.
During his Lucknow visit, Gyanesh Kumar is scheduled to interact with students at Colvin Taluqdars’ College, where he studied earlier. He will also attend a regional conference on ELC 2.0 and ECINET at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan.
On Tuesday, the CEC will meet around 500 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from Lucknow and nearby districts. BLOs play a crucial role in maintaining electoral rolls and connecting voters with the election machinery.
Following the Lucknow event, similar regional conferences on ELC 2.0 and ECINET are planned in Meerut and Varanasi.
The Election Commission’s move comes as Uttar Pradesh prepares for the 2027 Assembly elections, where voter participation and awareness among first-time voters are expected to play a significant role.
