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Election panel ropes in sportspersons to encourage peole to vote
New Delhi
New Delhi
The Delhi state election office has roped in sportspersons and artists as “brand ambassadors” to encourage people to exercise their franchise and help increase the voter turnout in the February 8 assembly elections.
“We have roped in cricketer Rishabh Pant, table tennis player Manika Batra, paralympians Neeraj Yadav and Ankur Dhama, among others for a campaign. Our aim is to increase the total vote percentage significantly this year,” said Delhi’s chief electoral officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh.
The CEO’s office had come out with a list of 30 assembly constituencies where the voting percentage was less in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Some of these constituencies are New Delhi, Okhla, Laxmi Nagar, Mehrauli, Dwarka, Chhatarpur, Patel Nagar, Kalkaji, Palam, Vikaspuri, Badarpur and Rajendra Nagar.
In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the overall voter turnout was 60.52%, nearly five percentage points less than the turnout in the 2014 general election.
In 2015 assembly elections witnessed a record voting percentage of 67.14%, 1.28 percentage points more than the 2013 assembly polls. In 2015 polls, New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment had recorded lowest turnout.
The election office has also tied up with Delhi Metro with 17 stations displaying voter awareness advertisements. “We have been carrying voter awareness activities in all these constituencies. The number of voters enrolled in the age group of 18-20 years are still less in comparison to their total population. Their voting percentage too has remained low,” said a senior official.
To attract people at polling stations, 70 model polling stations (one in each constituency) are being set up. “ and all booths in these polling stations would not only have facilities such as medical kit, creche, ramp, wheelchairs, pick up and drop for elderly like other booths, but they would be decorated and made attractive,” said Singh.
Officials said 190 companies of the paramilitary force, 3,800 Delhi police personnel and 19,000 Home guards would be deployed on poll duty. “We have identified 3,500 critical or sensitive booths. The polling exercise from these booths would be webcast live,” said Singh.
The electoral office would spend nearly Rs 70 crore to conduct the polls. There are 13,750 polling stations at 2,689 locations in Delhi.
