Over 11,000 youth participated in 62 editions of ‘Viksit Bharat Yuva Samvad: Know Your Vote’, organised across 16 States and Union Territories on 31.10.2026 by Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat), under the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The programmes were held at 62 colleges and educational institutions as part of the nationwide campaign, being conducted from 26.10.2026 to 05.11.2026, with the aim of covering 500 universities, colleges and institutions across the country.

The initiative seeks to promote electoral awareness among young people, particularly first-time voters, and encourage their informed participation in the democratic process. It familiarises them with voting rights, electoral procedures and civic responsibilities while providing opportunities to interact with elected representatives, Youth Icons and other distinguished personalities on democratic participation and nation-building.

The campaign covered a wide geographical spread, with programmes held across Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in the northern region. It also reached Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the North-East; Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha in the east; Madhya Pradesh in central India; Maharashtra and Rajasthan in the west; and Tamil Nadu and Telangana in the south.

With the latest round of programmes, a total of 158 Yuva Samvads have been conducted across 28 States and Union Territories, engaging around 32,000 youth and 158 Youth Icons.

In Jaipur, Rajasthan, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Shri Ghanshyam Tiwari and Member of Parliament (Jaipur City) Smt. Manju Sharma attended the programme and interacted with students on democratic participation and the importance of voting. Youth Icon Ms. Divyanshi Shekhawat delivered a presentation on ‘Know Your Vote’, while Sports Icon Ms. Bhumika Shukla shared her experiences with the participants. Programmes in Ajmer and Dholpur also featured interactions with elected representatives, voter awareness activities and the Loktantrik Pledge.

In Assam, Shri Sushanta Borgohain, Minister of Water Resources, Government of Assam, interacted with youth at Sivasagar and addressed their queries. The programme also featured an interaction with a Youth Icon on responsible social media use, encouraging young people to verify information and check facts before believing or sharing content. In North Lakhimpur, Youth Icons interacted with participants and answered their questions on voting and civic responsibilities.

In Punjab, Yuva Samvads in Ferozepur, Kapurthala, Sangrur, SAS Nagar and Sri Muktsar Sahib witnessed active participation by students and interactions with Youth Icons and academic representatives. In Ferozepur, around 250 youth took the Loktantrik Pledge, while Youth Icon Ms. Janvi Sharma interacted with participants. At Kapurthala, Youth Icon Shri Satyaprakash encouraged young people to contribute to nation-building, with academic representatives from Lovely Professional University also attending. In Sangrur, students participated in an interactive session led by Youth Icon Ms. Falak Masoom on informed and responsible voting. The programmes also featured discussions on civic responsibilities and the Loktantrik Pledge.

In Jammu and Kashmir, MLA Shri Sunil Bhardwaj addressed participants at the Yuva Samvad in Udhampur, highlighting the importance of voting and democratic participation. In Madhya Pradesh, programmes in Narsinghpur, Neemach and Raisen featured interactions with Youth Icons and elected representatives, discussions on leadership and nation-building, and the Loktantrik Pledge. Youth Icon Ms. Mansi Sharma interacted with participants in Narsinghpur and answered their questions on democratic values.

In Uttar Pradesh, programmes across Barabanki, Bulandshahr, Chandauli, Gorakhpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Kannauj, Kushinagar, Mirzapur and Prayagraj featured youth interactions, presentations, quizzes, competitions and activities promoting civic awareness. In Bulandshahr, students interacted with an elected public representative, while programmes in Chandauli and Gorakhpur included discussions on sports and the importance of cycling and the Khelo India initiative. Other activities included sessions on Nasha Mukt Bharat, Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, speech and slogan-writing competitions and youth discussions.

In Bihar, programmes in Banka and Muzaffarpur featured interactive discussions in which students raised questions and shared their perspectives. Participants also took the Loktantrik Pledge, reaffirming their commitment to responsible citizenship and active participation in democracy.

The nationwide campaign will continue until 05.11.2026, with further programmes being organised across universities, colleges and educational institutions.

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Gaurav Saini

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