Sachin Tendulkar, the master batsman and Bharat Ratna awardee, will now advocate for better voter turnout, particularly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, by joining up as a ‘national icon’ for the Election Commission.
On Wednesday, a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between the EC, represented by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, and Tendulkar, who was also a Rajya Sabha nominee.
According to the terms of the agreement, the cricketer will support the EC’s efforts to boost voter awareness and educate the electorate about the value and significance of each vote in cultivating a thriving democracy.
“This collaboration would be a significant step towards leveraging Tendulkar’s unparalleled impact with the youth demographic in order to increase voter participation in the upcoming elections, particularly in the General Elections 2024.”
“Through this partnership, ECI aims to bridge the gap between citizens, particularly youth and urban populations, and the electoral process, thereby attempting to address the challenges of urban and youth apathy,” the poll organisation said in a statement on Tuesday.
While Sachin has multiple achievements to his name in cricket, many have questioned his performance as a Rajya Sabha nominated MP from 2012 to 2018. He had a low attendance rate, showing up for only 8% of the days during his term. During his six-year service, he did not engage in any legislative debates and only asked 22 questions.
He did, however, spend his MPLADS cash well, on causes ranging from disaster relief in J&K and Tamil Nadu to school reconstruction in Uttarakhand and Maharashtra and public toilet construction in Mumbai. He has also adopted an Andhra Pradesh village through the Saansad Adarsh Gramme Yojana.
To encourage electors to vote in elections, the EC collaborates with eminent Indians from many disciplines and designates them as national icons. The Commission named actor Pankaj Tripathi its ‘national icon’ last year. In the most recent Lok Sabha election in 2019, the poll panel chose stalwarts such as former Indian captain M S Dhoni, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, and Olympic medalist Mary Kom as national idols.
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Source: TOI
