The Election Commission of India has launched an upgraded version of its Electoral Literacy Clubs scheme, called ELC 2.0, with the purpose of deepening democratic awareness among students and young voters across the country. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced the initiative at a regional conference held in Goa on 3 September 2026. The scheme targets India’s vast network of educational institutions to foster electoral participation and understanding of democratic processes among young citizens.
What ELC 2.0 includes
ELC 2.0 operates under the tagline “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy.” and reimagines Electoral Literacy Clubs as structured, digitally enabled platforms within schools, colleges and universities. The scheme is built on ECINet, a unified digital platform that provides election-related services and information to voters across India, from voter roll management to polling and counting processes.
The initiative will function through a dedicated ELC portal that coordinates electoral literacy activities throughout the year on a pan-India basis. According to the Election Commission, the scheme targets India’s educational ecosystem, which includes approximately 15 lakh schools with nearly 25 crore students and over one crore teachers. The higher education sector comprises nearly 1,500 universities and around 70,000 educational institutions with an estimated 4.33 crore students enrolled.
Through ELC 2.0, students will receive information on voter registration, polling procedures, vote counting, the ECINet App and other key Election Commission initiatives. The scheme also aims to help young citizens become ambassadors of informed democratic participation by providing factual and experiential electoral education.
What this means for you
If you are a student in school, college or university, your institution may establish or join an Electoral Literacy Club where you can learn how India’s election system works and how to participate meaningfully in democracy. The scheme offers a structured way for young voters to understand electoral processes and their rights before they cast their first vote. Through the dedicated ELC portal and ECINet App, you will have access to election-related information and services in one digital space.