Ahmedabad: Drawing and essay writing competitions were organized in various schools in Ahmedabad as part of a voter awareness campaign for citizens ahead of the local body elections in Gujarat, officials said on Tuesday.
In a bid to promote awareness for voting among Ahmedabad residents, a series of creative programmes involving school students were organized by the Nagar Primary Education Committee and the District Education Officer's Office, they said.
Elections to local self-government bodies in Gujarat, including 15 municipal corporations, will be held on April 26 with counting of votes scheduled for April 28. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is one of the civic bodies going to the polls.
To ensure maximum voter participation, drawing and essay writing competitions were organized in various schools of the city under the Systematic Voters' Awareness Plan-SVAP campaign, an official release said.
Cycle and voter awareness rallies were also held to convey the importance of democracy and voting to the masses, it added.
As part of this campaign, in special competitions held at Isanpur Public School-1, Sharda Girls School, N V Tanwar Hindi High School, Mount Carmel School, Kankaria Gujarati School No. 8, Devaliyapara Primary School, students depicted the value of voting rights on topics like 'Educated Voter, Aware Voter', 'My Vote, My Strength' and 'My Vote, the Basis of Democracy', release said.
The students took out rallies holding banners and encouraged local residents to vote regularly.
All these activities were planned smoothly with no disruption to the syllabus or timetable of the students' second-semester exams. Selfie points placed in the school premises became a centre of attraction for students and parents, the purpose of which was to spread awareness about voting through social media, release said.
Students took a solemn oath to vote regularly after turning 18, it added. PTI KVM RSY
