To create voter awareness in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, select trains originating and halting at New Delhi Railway Station will bear slogans such as ‘My Vote Matters’ .
On Friday, Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh launched an awareness campaign from the city, flagging off the Kerala Express with poll-related messages.
“The Kerala Express bound for Thiruvananthapuram starts at 11.25 am, covering eight states in 51 hours and 10 minutes. The train will be flagged by state chief electoral officers at multiple stops as it traverses across the country,” the Delhi CEO office said a statement.
Four long-distance trains covering 19 states have been selected by Election Commission of India (ECI) and Indian Railways to carry voter awareness and motivational messages.
The other trains carrying messages include Himsagar Express, Guwahati Express and Howrah Express.
As the train travels across different states, passengers will be urged by the district election officers (DEOs) to click ‘selfies’ with the slogans in the background and upload them on the official social media accounts of the commission, said officials.
The move has been taken under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP).
{{/usCountry}}The move has been taken under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP).
{{/usCountry}}“The trains have been selected on the longest North-South route and East-West routes. The main purpose of this collaboration is to promote awareness among voters on a large scale,” it said.
The Indian Railways network carries 22.24 million passengers and 3.04 million tonnes of freight on an average on a daily basis, it maintained.
Around ₹35,85,000 cash has been seized over two days as part of the electoral vigil being across the city. While ₹10, 85000 was seized from outer Delhi, another ₹25 lakh was found from an SUV in Matiala area of southwest Delhi.
The Delhi CEO in a statement released on Friday said the BJP wants 10 more days to reply to a showcause notice issued to the party’s election committee member for sharing an audio-visual advertisement titled “main bhi chowkidar hun” on social media.
The advertisement featured defence personnel, which is violation of the model code of conduct.
The notice was issued on March 26 for not complying with the directions of the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee. The poll body had earlier asked the BJP member to submit a reply within three days.
The EC had directed political parties to keep the country’s defence personnel out of election campaigning and not to use their photographs in advertisements.