BENGALURU: With Bengaluru recording poor voting in the last Assembly election, electoral officers are making all efforts to raise voting percentage this time. The Election Commission is organising various public awareness programmes such as street plays, Yakshagana, drama and other activities. The commission is also focusing on the IT-BT crowd and officials are holding meeting with CEOs of software companies seeking that the staff compulsorily exercise their franchise.
The BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said the trend of voting percentage was low in 2013 and 2018 polls but was hopeful that the trend will be reversed in this election. “We are sensitising young voters. We are insisting that young voters exercise their vote come what may. We had discussions with residents’ welfare associations to help in this regard in alll eight zones of Bengaluru Urban and Rural areas. They will also take part in our awareness campaigns and will organise programme. We will also take visit International Tech Park and other IT parks and will create awareness through meetings with CEOs. We have appointed four ambassadors who will encourage people to cast their vote.
Tushar Giri Nath added, “We are also talking with industrial associations, hotels employees and nurses in the hospitals from April 10. We will write letters for them, and also to colleges, insisting that they give permission to the staff and students”.
“About 1,20,000 young voters have been enrolled in the fresh list. We will use them now for promotion. We have 4,000 electoral literacy clubs including colleges”, he said.
“Before the announcement of the election itself, officials had seized around Rs 5-6 crore which was to be used for luring voters and we booked the cases. We have seized several items like alcohol, gold and silver items worth Rs 30 crore. Citizens can help prevent electoral fraud through the cVIGIL app”, he added.