Himachal Pradesh: 44-year-old cyclist Jaspreet Pal becomes State Election Icon

Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 8 : 44-year-old cyclist Jaspreet Pal, hailing from Upper Samkhetar, Mandi district has been declared the State Election Icon to encourage youth to exercise their right to franchise and make the voters aware of the value of their votes in the Maha Utsav of democracy.
A Document of Understanding was signed by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maneesh Garg on behalf of the State Election Department and Jaspreet Pal on Monday.
Pal is an avid cyclist and a professional photographer. Besides, he has immensely contributed to child literacy, environmental preservation, etc.
While interacting with Jaspreet Pal, the CEO suggested organizing a cycling relay rally/race across the state for voter awareness and mass mobilization.
Earlier, while interacting with the media, the CEO said that till now Pal has paddled around 21 thousand kilometres through various treacherous terrains, won the Fire Fox Challenge cycling championship and was ranked 2nd in the MTB championship in 2021.
The idea behind engaging Jaspreet is to especially involve youth, both in urban and rural areas of the state, to vote as well as stay fit, said the CEO.
The elections to the four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh and bypolls to the six assembly constituencies that fell vacant with the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs and their eventual switch to the BJP will be held on June 1.