Paralympic Archers Become Icons for EC Voter Awareness

Paralympic archery champion Rakesh Kumar and his mixed compound archery team partner Sheetal Devi were appointed as national icons by the Election Commission. The announcement comes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, recognizing their bronze medal achievement at the Paris Summer Paralympics and their roots in Jammu and Kashmir.

Paralympic archery champion Rakesh Kumar has been appointed as the Election Commission's national icon for persons with disabilities (PwDs), the commission announced on Wednesday.

Kumar's mixed compound archery team partner, Sheetal Devi, was also declared a national icon ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in March. The duo's recognition follows their remarkable bronze medal win at the Paris Summer Paralympics.

The announcement was made at an event attended by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. Both archers, hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, will aid EC's voter awareness efforts to boost voter turnout in the region.

(With inputs from agencies.)