Mangaluru : Governor Vajubhai Vala advised youth to actively participate in the electoral process by exercising their franchise in the elections.

Addressing the newly enrolled voters at the National Voters’ Day celebrations in the City on Monday on the theme of inclusive and qualitative participation, Vala stressed on the importance of electoral participation in the democratic system.

Appreciating slum dwellers for their record voting percentage in elections, he said a majority of the educated class in cities often decided to stay away from voting claiming that there were no good candidates in the election fray.

Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha said that around 5.91 lakh voters had been enrolled during the current year and of them, around 3.3 lakh were women. Around 2.71 lakh of the total electorate are aged between 18 and 19 years.

Vala distributed elector photo identity cards to three youths who enrolled themselves for the first time. The best booth-level officer award was also given to three officials for their service during the electoral process.

A few minutes before Vala’s arrival at the venue, sewage water flowed in front of the Town Hall, landing officials in an embarrassing situation. After a 15-minute struggle, civic workers managed to repair the blocked drain.