Right to vote is powerful weapon: Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu tells students

“It is essential for every citizen to understand the Constitution,” said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday (November 26, 2025). 

Speaking after witnessing a ‘Students Mock Assembly’ conducted on the Assembly premises to mark Indian Constitution Day, Mr. Naidu said the Indian Constitution, adopted on November 26, 1949 after nearly three years of extensive debate “stands as a soul of our nation.” “Even through turbulent times like the Emergency, it endured because of the strength and clarity of its design,” he said.  

Paying rich tributes to the architect of the Indian Constitution Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the Chief Minister recalled his lines: “However good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot.”

Mr. Naidu, who attended the session along with some of his Cabinet colleagues and officials, commended the students’ capability and poise. Students drawn from all the 175 constituencies represented their respective areas in the mock Assembly session. Impressed by their confidence, Mr. Naidu said “even MLAs sometimes hesitate, but the students performed their roles exceptionally well and handled the House proceedings wonderfully within a short time.”

Speaking about the significance of the day, the Chief Minister said it was to instill responsibility and awareness among citizens. Mr. Naidu shared personal experience recalling that he had become a Member of the Legislative Assembly at the age of 28, something he had aspired for even as a University student. 

The Chief Minister appreciated that the students, at a younger age than he was when he first entered politics, enacted their roles in the mock assembly very effectively. “The set-up was made to resemble a real Assembly so they would understand the responsibility of public representatives,” he said.

He said the students should realise that the right to vote granted to them by the Constitution was a powerful weapon. He said unlike many countries where weaker sections, or even women had to fight for voting rights, the Indian Constitution granted universal adult franchise to all citizens aged 18 and above.

Pointing to the fact that Parliament had recently passed the Bill to provide 33% reservation for women, he said while a woman had still not become the President of the United States, India had already seen a woman serve as Prime Minister.