In order to raise the voters’ awareness and ensure their participation in the ensuing Assembly polls, the Bokaro district administration has started the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme.
“We are trying our best to draw voters to the booths by educating them on their right to vote and this programme will continue till 5 December”, said an official. NGO’s, several private and public sectors including BDO’s, DEO’s, CDPO’s, GM’s of IEl Gomia, BSl, ESl, CCl, HSCl, JP Cement and Bank Managers were called to work for SVEEP; they have to appeal the people to participate in greater numbers during the forthcoming assembly elections, he said. “Under SVEEP, Special awareness campaigns have been launched for women, youth, and nomads including other residents”, added the official.
Folk artists are being engaged to create awareness among the people. We are also distributing leaflets and holding rallies in schools and colleges. The administration is planning to erect model booths to attract the electorate, he said.
Electoral literacy material is also being provided at polling booths and in villages for ensuring greater electoral literacy and facilitating ethical and informed voting. The SVEEP contains the following activities: Dissemination of Information, Motivation Message, and Approach (Strategy). The main objectives include increasing the registration of voters, specially women, newly eligible voters, youth and socially marginalised sections; improving the voter turnout by way of motivation; photo inclusion in the electoral roll; issue of EPIC; and ethical voting, said DC Bokaro, Uma Shankar Singh .
Notably, SVEEP was first rolled out in 2009-2010 assembly elections and in the last three years, voter registration, especially among youth, has gone up from 15 per cent to 35 per cent and almost all assembly elections held since 2010, recorded high voter turnout with greater participation from youth and women, said an official. The naxal zone of the district also saw a huge rise in voter participation in the recent lS elections after the SVEEP plan was rolled out, he said.