Dakshina Kannada SVEEP (Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation) Committee has come up with several initiatives to encourage the electorate to come out and vote during assembly elections, as stated by a report in The New Indian Express.
The committee will soon start a Postcard Campaign, under which, degree, PU (Pre-University) and other colleges and hostels will be visited and awareness will be created among the young voters. Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairperson of DK SVEEP Committee Dr Kumara said the team will carry out a letter campaign in these hostels and the students will be asked to write a letter to their relatives and close ones requesting them to exercise their franchise.
"In many constituencies, the voting percentage is low. In Mangaluru in particular, voter turnout is the lowest in the district. We are collecting data on the total number of hostels and colleges. After identifying the total number of students and staff, we will distribute postcards. There are 33,577 young voters this time in the district and we want to ensure all of them exercise their votes and also encourage their dear ones to do the same. We are aiming to distribute around 35,000 postcards to students and encourage them to write postcards to their family, relatives and friends and exercise their right to vote," Dr Kumara said.
The postcards will be collected by the SVEEP team and delivered via post.
Five celebrities to create awareness
Meanwhile, five celebrities Raj B Shetty, Anushree, Patla Sathish Shetty, Sabitha Monis, Harekala Hajabba and Sangeetha Sringeri have been roped in to create awareness among the people to exercise their right to vote. Short clips of these celebrities creating awareness on voting will be uploaded on social media. Also, district administration plans to create awareness at the main junctions of the district with the help of Yakshagana artists. Short films, banners and posters also will be used to create awareness, said Dr Kumara.