In a first, Chief Justice of India appears in Election Commission campaign, urges citizens to vote

'In a constitutional democracy, the government is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,' CJI Chandrachud said in a video message.

File photo: Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud | ANI

New Delhi: The Chief Justice of India (CJI) has in a first, appeared in the Election Commission’s ‘My Vote, My Voice’ campaign, making an appeal to voters to exercise their constitutional right and avoid missing the opportunity to vote in the general elections. In a video message on Doordarshan National, uploaded on YouTube Friday, CJI D.Y. Chandrachud emphasised the importance of citizens’ participation in the democratic process by casting their votes.

“The Constitution gives us a multitude of rights as citizens, but it also expects that each of us perform the duty which is cast upon us, and one of the foremost duties of citizenship is to cast our vote”, said Justice Chandrachud.

Reminding citizens of their participatory role in electing the government, he added, “In a constitutional democracy, the government is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Justice Chandrachud also recalled his own experience as a first-time voter, and the emotions associated with exercising one’s franchise.

“Getting that dot on the finger, when I voted, aroused tremendous feelings of patriotism and association with the nation in me. Sometimes, when you have an ink mark on your hand, you’re wondering when that ink mark will go away, but this is one ink mark which I never wanted to go away, because I felt that I was a proud demonstrator of the fact that, as an Indian citizen having crossed the age of eligibility, I could exercise my vote and had in fact exercised my vote”, he said. 

He also highlighted the principle of ‘one citizen, one vote, one value’ in the Constitution. 

Reflecting on his personal commitment never to miss the opportunity to vote, even amid professional obligations, the Chief Justice urged the people of India to prioritise their duty to vote responsibly.

“I would request that ever yone 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,” he said.

Previously, President Droupadi Murmu, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Indian Space Research Organisation chief S. Somanath had made similar appeals to the Indian public ahead of the first phase of polling in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, which kicked off Friday.