Bengaluru: Karnataka will celebrate International Day of Democracy Monday with the slogan “My Vote, My Right.” Chief minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the event at the banquet hall of Vidhana Soudha.Social welfare minister HC Mahadevappa said the campaign aims to create awareness on voting among youth, encourage civic participation, and strengthen constitutional values. “The country’s fate, destiny, and development depend on electing the right person by exercising one’s franchise, a right guaranteed by the Constitution. Awareness is a continuous process to strengthen democracy,” he added.He also announced the launch of Democracy Radio, an online platform to spread messages about the Constitution, voter awareness, and civic participation through discussions, music, and youth voices.As part of the celebrations, bike rallies featuring 10-15 participants from each district will travel to Bengaluru carrying messages of democracy and unity, while bicycle rallies will be held at the district level under the leadership of local administration and the department of youth empowerment and sports.Mahadevappa said competitions, aimed at inspiring youth to creatively express democratic values, will run until Nov 26. There will also be debate contests.Painting competitions for school students, photography contests by the higher education department, and speech competitions by CRYCE will focus on themes, including “My Vote, My Right,” the Constitution’s preamble, and Gandhi’s India.Mahadevappa clarified that the campaign is not linked to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ campaign in Bengaluru or the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar.At the event, CM Siddaramaiah will distribute Rs 6 crore in direct cash incentives to 1,000 PU students who have secured admissions to engineering and medical courses through KCET, NEET, and JEE.The UN declared Sep 15 as the International Day of Democracy in 2007. Karnataka celebrated the day in 2023 by reading the Constitution’s preamble and in 2024 with a record 2,500km human chain across all 31 districts.
