Appealing to voters to exercise their voting rights, Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal on Friday said that the poll panel is making strenuous efforts at the war footing level to ensure maximum participation of citizens in the voting for the Lok Sabha general elections scheduled for May 25.

Every eligible voter must exercise their voting rights, and citizens are being sensitized for this purpose, said Agarwal. “In the 2019 Lok Sabha general elections, approximately 70 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the state, which was higher than the national average. This time our target is to achieve a minimum of 75 per cent voter turnout in the state,” he added.

Agarwal said that to increase voter turnout this time, the Election Commission of India has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Postal Department and the Indian Banks Association to raise awareness among voters. “The main objective is to convey to voters that participation of the public is crucial in democracy, therefore, every citizen must exercise their franchise,” he added.

Agarwal said that Haryana has a large network of over 5,600 branches of 62 banks. With the cooperation of banks, maximum awareness will be ensured at ATMs and branches to motivate citizens coming to banks to vote.

He said that the theme of this general election is the Festival of Elections – the Pride of the Nation, therefore, this festival is incomplete without the exercise of citizens’ voting rights. People get this opportunity once every five years, so ensure your participation in this festival, he added.

The Chief Electoral Officer said that this time, there are 1,98,29,675 registered voters in Haryana. He appealed to all voters to exercise their voting rights without temptation or fear. There are 19,812 polling centres in the state, he added.