E-rickshaws to be used in Delhi in drive to raise awareness on electoral process

The e-rickshaws will hit Delhi roads over the next 30 days and cover at least 1,844 polling stations, which accounts for a population of 19.4 lakh.

E-rickshaws, which serve as a last-mile connectivity option in Delhi, will now be used to raise awareness about the electoral process among voters. At least five such e-rickshaws were launched in the east parliamentary constituency on Wednesday.

E-rickshaws will be used to reach out to voters who reside in narrow lanes and by-lanes of congested Delhi areas. (HT File Photo)

“This is the first time that e-rickshaws are being used to reach out to voters who reside in narrow lanes and by-lanes of congested areas within a city, where bigger vehicles can’t go. These vehicles will act as the “last-mile connectivity” in raising awareness about elections,” K Mahesh, district magistrate of east and Shahdara district, said.

The vehicles were launched by Ranbir Singh, chief electoral officer of Delhi, on Wednesday. These vehicles would hit the roads over the next 30 days and cover at least 1,844 polling stations, which accounts for a population of 19.4 lakh.

“Earlier, we had launched bigger vehicles named ‘Democracy on Wheels’ to raise awareness about VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail) and EVMs (electronic voting machines). But these vehicles were unable to enter the lanes and by-lanes. Hence, the need for smaller vehicles,” Mahesh said.

The national capital’s first Voter Awareness Forum was also launched in east Delhi on Wednesday. More such forums will be organised in government offices, NGOs, private companies and PSUs, among others, to raise awareness among voters.

“We would be getting in touch with the Confederation of Indian Industry, a business association, in Delhi which has around 700-800 members so that such forums could be organised in private companies as well,” Singh said.