E-Paper
Pune district election office targets 13 assembly constituencies to increase voter turnout
In the 2019 LS elections, Pune registered a voter turnout of 49.84%, prompting the district administration to take steps, particularly in areas such as Shivajinagar, Kothrud, Vadgaon Sheri, Pune Cantonment, Parvati, and Kasba in the Pune LS constituency that saw a voter turnout between 46% and 55%
The Pune district administration is working hard to increase voter turnout in 13 out of 21 assembly constituencies in the district, especially those that saw low voter turnout in the last Lok Sabha (LS) elections (2019). In the 2019 LS elections, Pune registered a voter turnout of 49.84%, prompting the district administration to take steps, particularly in areas such as Shivajinagar, Kothrud, Vadgaon Sheri, Pune Cantonment, Parvati, and Kasba in the Pune LS constituency that saw a voter turnout between 46% and 55%. The Pune district election office has issued instructions to target constituencies which had low voter turnout in the 2019 LS polls. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Metro are actively involved in these efforts.
Special attention is being given to registering students to vote, with NGOs visiting colleges for this purpose. As a result, a significant number of new voters has been added, especially in constituencies with historically low voter turnout. The focus has been on engaging young people in the age group of 20 to 29 years.
A senior official from the Pune district election office said, “Efforts are underway to increase the turnout of women voters in slum areas through self-help groups. Workers in industrial areas are receiving counselling from the administration. House visits have been conducted to engage voters. Supervisors in fields, brick kilns, and Anganwadi centres have been encouraging workers to vote. Villages have seen awareness campaigns through banners, posters, and rallies. Government programmes have included pledges to vote. Currently, the campaign, “Tai, akka, vahini, mavshi go to vote” is underway.”
Whereas the Pune Metro has started a campaign to raise awareness at metro stations. As per the Metro officials, there are more than 70,000 passengers travelling daily by metro trains. Posters have been put up at all operational metro stations to remind voters to exercise their voting rights.
The PMC administration too has taken steps to raise voting awareness. PMC commissioner Rajendra Bhosale has issued an order instructing all officials to fill voter awareness forms (VAFs), attach pictures along with the forms, and send emails to the Pune district election officer.
