The Election Commission of India has postponed two youth-focused voter awareness programmes in Uttar Pradesh that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was scheduled to address.
One programme, a regional conference of Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs), was scheduled in Meerut on September 25, while the second, an interaction with young voters, was planned in Varanasi on September 28. Both have been postponed indefinitely, according to officials.
The postponement comes amid reports of differences within the three-member Election Commission over decisions related to the electoral roll revision process. The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on multiple occasions over decisions taken by the Commission. The ECI has maintained that its decisions were unanimous.
The Commission, however, said the postponement of the Uttar Pradesh programmes was not connected to the controversy.
An ECI official said the decision was taken on September 21 and communicated to officials the same day.
“Adjustments in dates of events is an ongoing process which is necessitated by various factors such as availability of venues, schedules of higher authorities, natural factors,” the official said.
The official also pointed to previous instances where ELC conferences in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Uttarakhand had been postponed or rescheduled.
What are the ELC programmes?
The Electoral Literacy Clubs are an ECI initiative in schools and colleges aimed at familiarising students and first-time voters with the electoral process.
The Commission's ELC 2.0 programme includes regional conferences and outreach activities covering voter registration, polling, counting and the functioning of the electoral system. The initiative is also being used to reach young voters through ECINET, the Commission's voter services platform.
The Uttar Pradesh events form part of the Commission's wider youth outreach ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The ECI had earlier held an ELC 2.0 regional conference in Lucknow on August 24, where Gyanesh Kumar interacted with students and teachers from schools and colleges across the state.
At that event, the CEC said the programme was aimed at helping young people understand voter registration, polling and counting procedures and the role of the Election Commission.
The Commission has described the initiative with the tagline “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy”, with a focus on increasing electoral awareness among young and first-time voters.
The ECI has not announced fresh dates for the Meerut and Varanasi program