"Mission '22 going to 72': Himachal Pradesh election department's drive to boost voter turnout
Mar 24, 2024
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 24 : In order to increase the voter turnout in the 22 assembly constituencies that registered less than 70 per cent turnout in the last general elections in 2019, the election department of Himachal Pradesh has undertaken a campaign on mission mode, namely, '22 going to 72' to enhance the voter turnout from the previous poll percentage of 72.42 per cent in Lok Sabha elections 2019.
"This was disclosed by the Chief Electoral Officer, Maneesh Garg, here on Saturday," as per a press release.
Under the initiative of various apolitical persons to exercise their franchise, the constituency wise icons will be roped in and the invitation cards made by the children will be distributed to the probable voters, stated Garg.
"Apart from this, Booth Awareness groups would be activated to motivate the electors to come out and participate in the largest Utsav of Democracy and Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs), will also be conducting electoral literacy campaigns so as to motivate the general public to come out in big numbers to vote," the release stated.
The CEO said that Voters Awareness Forums (VAFs) will be established in all government offices and industrial organisations. He said that employees who were actually the electors will also be asked why they didn't vote despite being given a paid holiday in the last general elections.
"Nodal officers will also be appointed in all such establishments to inform and motivate the employees to participate in the electoral process. It is pertinent to mention here that these Nodal Officers will confirm as to how many of the employees have actually voted by the ink mark despite being given a paid holiday for the specific purpose," Garg said.
"The cultural activities, besides the wall signature campaigns, etc will also be launched on large scale," as per the release.
The Lok Sabha election in Himachal Pradesh is scheduled to take place on June 1. The election will be conducted in a single phase, covering all four constituencies of the state.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious, winning all four seats. The Indian National Congress (INC) failed to secure any seats.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP retained its dominance. The party won all four seats again, maintaining its strong presence in the state. The plight of the Indian National Congress (INC) remained the same as in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
