Election Commission of India

ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi-110001

Backgrounder on SVEEP

Inclusive and participative democracy is a precondition for human development and thus credible and inclusive election becomes the corner stone of democratic governance. For democracy to represent actual will of the people, elections have to be inclusive and with participation from all strata of the society. The Indian population represents immense diversity in terms of social, cultural and economic aspects; and to achieve higher and qualitative electoral participation, considering this diversity while planning efforts is crucial.

Low education and empowerment, gender bias and social stereotypes, psychological and traditional barriers, belonging to ethnic and socially vulnerable communities, low or no awareness of rights and political setups, de-politicisation and demotivation, violence and intimidation are some of the many reasons for unsatisfactory and unenthusiastic participation of several marginalised and weaker sections of the society in the electoral process.

To address these gaps in electoral participation, the Election Commission in 2009 rolled out a planned and comprehensive voter education programme which later on came to be described as the Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation Programme. SVEEP programme covers all aspects of Voters’ Awareness & Education aimed at improving electoral participation in the country and building up a culture of participative democracy among citizens. Through SVEEP, the Election Commission of India formulates policies, lays down the framework, plans interventions and monitors outcomes besides carrying out continuous discourse with all stakeholders.

The SVEEP programme of Election Commission of India, all-embracing in its approach, makes extensive efforts for inclusive electoral participation of all sections of the society. In addition to women, youth and urban electors, certain groups in non-conducive situations for enthusiastic participation in electoral process form a part of the target group of the voters’ education and participation programme. Transgenders, sex workers, labourers, migrant groups, tribal communities, people in extremism affected and far-flung areas, persons with disabilities, senior citizens and homeless persons are some such sections of the society. ECI identifies such communities and adopts specific measures to reach out to them. In the first two phases of SVEEP, some members of the election machinery have made outstanding efforts for engaging these individuals and groups in the registration and voting processes in their districts/ states. However, much meticulous planning and rigorous implementation would be required to not only address the existing gaps but go deeper and understand specific needs of the doubly disadvantaged or doubly excluded groups. For instance, a differently abled person from an indigenous tribe, a woman from a marginalised caste, a person of the third gender with visual impairment, a non-resident Indian from the transgender community, women in the extremism affected areas, a person with disability in a far-flung hilly terrain, a homeless senior citizen, all form a part of these doubly disadvantaged, and even doubly marginalised groups. In the next and third phase of SVEEP our efforts should be directed towards taking a step further to ensure bringing in of these people in the electoral process. Firstly, sensitisation towards their problems and understanding of the challenges of inclusion; secondly, appropriate data base and demographic details of these groups; and thirdly, specific and custom-made innovations for information, motivation and facilitation are significant for enhancing electoral participation of these groups. Though the number of these persons might not be very high, it is certainly not insignificant, keeping in mind our aim of universal and greater participation as we take ahead the programme.

After witnessing historic success due to sustained efforts in the General Elections to the Lok Sabha 2014, SVEEP is all set to embark on its third phase with a greater focus on need-based and intensive interventions for increased awareness and participation. Keeping in view the significance of synergy and collective efforts for strengthening the programme and amplifying its reach and effect, it is considered important to bring together our existing partners and build new associations.

CSOs, NGOs, SHGs and similar organisations have a critical role in deepening democracy by engaging the marginalized segments to participate in the electoral process. They can act as bridges between the divided groups by promoting spaces for open discussion and debate. They are uniquely placed and have the flexibility to bring the issues and concerns of citizens related to democracy to the forefront in a productive manner; and lend strength to the existing efforts with the help of their acumen and expertise in their domain and functional areas. Their extensive outreach at the grass-roots and know-how of community specific issues and solutions to them is an asset.

Hence, these discussions and interactive sessions are aimed at enabling a greater knowledge base for formulating strategies and plan of action for the phase of SVEEP ahead.