The youth in the Capital have not only caught the fancy of the political class but the Election Commission of India (ECI) too finds them an effective tool to achieve their goal — maximum participation of voters during the polls. As voters’ turnout on polling day tends to ebb despite awareness campaigns, the Election Commission (EC) has roped in youth to facilitate higher voting percentage.
In a new initiative, the Commission has launched a programme called SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) for increasing voter turnout in the election. As part of the programme, the North District Election Officer has organised Slogan and Tagline Competition in the North Campus of Delhi University (DU) for its students. The participants in the competition are coming up with catchy and thought-provoking slogans to generate awareness among voters to exercise their franchise.
“Through their slogans, participants attempted to convey a subtle message and tell people the importance of their votes in deciding the future of the country,” said an official. The polling percentile in Delhi has gone up over the years. However, there is scope for further increase in voters’ turnout. The voting percentage during the last Assembly polls in 2008 was 60 per cent but in some constituencies like Okhla, Mehrauli and Sangam Vihar, the turnout varied between 45 per cent and 50 per cent.
The initiative involving youth also targets primarily the young voters, particularly the first-time voters. The competition was held from October 4 to 18 at three colleges — Kirori Mal, Hindu and Hansraj. The Election Commission officials lauded the contribution of college authorities and students and said their role in spreading awareness and education was immense.
“The students exhibited great enthusiasm by participating in it. The District Election Office North has kept three prizes each for Slogan and Tagline Competition; consolation prizes will also be distributed,” said an official.