IIT-Guwahati students campaign for voting rights

It aims to create awareness that voting builds a healthier nation & strengthens democracy

In a bid to create awareness among citizens about their voting rights, IIT-Guwahati (IIT-G) students undertook a campaign that aims to enlighten citizens about their right to vote and how they could exercise their right.

On February 6, team Techniche of IIT-G went to about 20 villages where they raised awareness about elections and successfully collected 200 registrations for Voter IDs.

The campaign --- 'Wake Up and Vote' --- launched by the students of IIT-Guwahati in the city, is part of the Institute's techno-management festival Techniche from September one next.

The right to vote campaign is aimed at spreading awareness that voting builds a healthier nation and strengthens democracy, said Techniche convenor Vikram Aditya on Monday.

Stating Techniche has always been a torch bearer when it comes to rights and duties of the citizens of India, Aditya said backed up with an enormous success in 2014 where Techniche successfully had thousands of people take a pledge to vote throughout the country, this year team Techniche is back with full force for the upcoming Assam elections.

In this respect the team is helping the Election Commission to get Voter ID cards of hundreds of people in Guwahati who do not have a photograph on their card, he said.

"Next we have many events and campaigns planned to educate the state to the need to vote. Wake up and Vote is what the state needs right now and team Techniche is in full support with all our might", said Rajat, an organising committee member of Techniche 2016.

Golapi Das, booth level officer (BLO) of Hajo Constituency said: "It was a great experience working with the students of IIT-Guwahati. The team effort was brilliant. This is the first time any student community stepped in to help people correct their errors in the Voter ID cards and formulation of new ones".

"People with the errors in their Voter ID face many problems for verification process and this effort from Techniche just before the Assam elections is worth applauding", Das added.