Election Commission made Rajkummar Rao National Icon to increase votes

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 04-03-2024

Election Commission made Rajkummar Rao National Icon to increase votes

Appointment 4 min read

The Election Commission (EC) of India has appointed actor Rajkummar Rao as its National Icons on 26 October 2023. National Icons work to make voters aware about voting. The National Icons tries to increase the voting percentage.

Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in five states, the National Election Commission appointed 'Newton' actor Rajkummar Rao as its national icon.

Rajkummar Rao's film 'Newton' is based on voting:

Actor Rajkummar Rao has worked in many films but 'Newton' is a film which gave him a different identity.
Rajkummar Rao was also given the National Award for Best Actor for the film 'Newton' released in 2017.
In this film, Rajkummar Rao was seen in the role of a government clerk named Nutan Kumar. Rao played the role of an election officer in the Hindi film 'Newton', who was entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing elections in Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh.
His portrayal as a principled government clerk, resolute in his mission to conduct genuinely democratic elections amid Naxalite challenges, won praise.
The film won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and was India's official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 90th Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars.

Sachin Tendulkar became the national icon of the EC in August:

Before Rajkummar Rao, the Election Commission had made former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar its national icon in August this year.
Lok Sabha elections are to be held in India next year in 2024.
The Election Commission's focus is mostly on the youth, that is why it has first chosen celebrities like Sachin and then Rajkumar Rao.

_{Role of national icons in elections:}

If the Election Commission makes someone its national icon then he has to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Election Commission. This agreement is for the next three years. After this, he makes people aware about voting through celebrity advertisements, through his social media platforms or through other programs.

Assembly elections are going to be held in these five states:

State	Total Assembly Seats
Madhya Pradesh	230
Rajasthan	200
Telangana	119
Chhattisgarh	90
Mizoram	40

Assembly elections in five states from November 7 to 30:

Assembly elections are going to be held in five states from 7 to 30 November.
The results of these elections will be declared on 3 December.
16 crore voters will exercise their franchise in these elections.
About 60 lakh youth will vote for the first time in these elections.