Ahmedabad, Sep 10 (IANS) : Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar began his two-day Gujarat visit on Thursday with a visit to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, where he paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and visited Hriday Kunj, as the Election Commission of India seeks to engage officials, voters and citizens on election management and electoral awareness during his tour.
Kumar arrived at Ahmedabad airport earlier in the day and was received by Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer Sandeep Sagale, Ahmedabad Collector Bhavya Verma and other senior officials.
At the historic ashram on the banks of the Sabarmati, CEC Kumar paid floral tribute to Gandhi’s statue before visiting Hriday Kunj, Gandhi’s former residence.
He also observed the process of spinning yarn on a charkha.
In a message in the visitors’ book, CEC Kumar said: “It is an honour for me to visit this sacred place from where the message of world peace and humanity spread.”
During the visit, Kumar was briefed on the Gandhi Ashram renovation project. He was accompanied by Sagale, Verma and other senior officials.
The visit to Gujarat includes a series of interactions aimed at discussing election management and voter awareness.
The CEC is scheduled to visit the historic Adalaj Stepwell to learn about Gujarat’s cultural heritage and will also visit the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) campus, where he will interact with prominent citizens on ‘Conducting Elections in India – The World’s Largest Democracy’.
On September 11, the second day of his visit, CEC Kumar will meet and interact with more than 500 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from across Gujarat at Atal Kalam Hall at Gujarat University.
He will subsequently visit the AUDA Auditorium in Shela, where he will converse with and encourage more than 1,000 members of Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs).
The two-day programme is Kumar’s first visit to Gujarat as Chief Election Commissioner and includes interactions with election functionaries, electoral literacy groups and citizens on various aspects of the electoral process.
