As Jharkhand heads for Assembly polls, residents of the State capital are set to enjoy attractive discounts at restaurants, petrol pumps and movie theaters this year-end.
In a bid to spread awareness about the importance of voting and encourage Ranchiites to cast their votes, the District Administration under Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) has held meetings with some popular restaurant owners and petrol pumps and asked them to not only spread awareness about elections through leaflets and posters but also offer discounts.
“The restaurants that attended the meeting will offer 10 per cent discount every Tuesday if the guests produce their voter ID cards. The offer will be valid till elections,” said Ranchi Sub-Divisional Officer, Lokesh Mishra. Restaurants will also offer 15 per cent discount on the day of polling to people who cast their votes, he added. The restaurant and hotel owners who attended the meeting include popular names like Capitol Hill, Capitol Residency, Kathi Kebab and Green Horizon.
The polling percentage in Ranchi during the General Elections held earlier this year was 64.40 per cent. As per figures with the Election Commission of India (ECI), 10,79,006 voters in Ranchi exercised their franchise, out of the 19,10,955 voters listed in the electoral roll.
The Administration and ECI aims at increasing the voter turnout this time. Since Ranchi is one of the constituencies dominated by urban localities, the awareness campaigns are largely based around restaurants, movie theaters and petrol pumps, sources said. The District Administration has also held a meeting with some petrol pump owners here and asked them to offer 40 per cent discount on pollution inspection on the day of polling. Only those people who cast their votes are eligible for this offer, officials said.
District officials are also planning to hold meetings with representatives of movie theaters in the city and ask them to offer discounts to voters. Besides, popular malls will be roped in for running awareness campaigns and giving special gifts to voters this election.
Elections for the 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand are likely to be held in November and December.
While the dates are yet to be announced, a team from the ECI has paid visit to the State and met concerned officials here before deciding the intricacies of the process.