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Broken promises - Boosting poll percentages - Lko RWAs, student bodies await dist admn recognition
Lucknow's district administration failed to honor promises of recognition for RWAs and educational institutions that boosted voter turnout after elections.
Politicians and political parties are known to make promises, only to break them later. Here is a novel case of the district administration making a promise to the Lucknow electorate and not living up to it.
It has been a good seven months since general elections got over and Year 2024 is about to end, yet, the people of Lucknow wait for the district administration and Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) to come good on their word.
The LDA had announced rewards for educational institutions like universities, degree colleges, schools and resident welfare associations (RWAs) which worked to push up polling percentages in the district.
Dr Anju Varshney, president of Nagrik Sewa Samiti, Nehru Enclave said, “The LDA and district administration’s lofty promises to fete the best-performing city RWAs turned out to be a false promise. It was just a ploy as we were used by the administration to up the poll percentage with our help.”
“On May 18, at Indira Gandhi Pratisthan, commissioner Roshan Jacob, district magistrate Suryapal Gangwar and the then LDA vice chairman, Indermani Tripathi, collectively announced that efforts of RWAs will be recognised if residential societies they are associated with record a high voting percentage,” said Uma Shankar Dubey, president, Lok Jan Kalyan Mahasamiti.
“Forget about recognition, the administration did not even issue a letter to acknowledge our hard work,” said Vivek Sharma, vice president of Lucknow Jankalyan Mahasamiti.
“District magistrate Suryapal Gangwar told us that our hard work will be recognised and the best performing educational institution that plays a significant role in voter awareness campaigns will be feted. Students from our college hit the road to spread awareness among voters, distributed handbills to citizens and appealed to them to cast their vote,” a student of Lucknow University said.
“The promises made to educational institutions by officials turned out to be all fake. It has left a sour taste among students who carried out voter awareness when day temperature was touching new highs every day,” said a student of an all-girl institution, who did not wish to be identified.
When reminded, divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob was candid enough to confess that there has been a delay on the part of the administration. “I regret that we have not been able to hold an event to recognise the hard work put in by the student fraternity of various schools, colleges and RWAs. I personally reminded district magistrate Suryapal Gangwar to hold an event. I assure everyone that we will definitely hold an event before the end of this year,” said Jacob.
Jacob added, “There is no paucity of funds. We will recognise the hard work of all stakeholders who played a role in increasing voter awareness.”
Gangwar said, “We are collecting data and definitely the hard work put in by the students and RWAs will be recognised.”
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Lucknow disappointed again on the voter turnout front. Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency’s 2024 voter turnout was pegged at 52.23%. It was little below the 2019 figure when the poll percentage was 54.78%, and in 2014 the poll percentage was 53.06%.
Model booths - a first
It was for the first time, the local authorities made 14 high rises in the state capital a model booth to facilitate voters to cast their vote in the apartments where they reside. The highest figure of 80.99% was recorded at Saryu Apartments in Gomti Nagar Extension of the city, and the lowest of 43.39% at Butler Palace in Dalibagh.
