LS polls: Maha CEO calls for initiatives to boost voter participation

Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam has called for special initiatives to boost participation of voters, including house-to-house outreach programmes.

He was speaking to reporters in Maharashtra's Thane district while conducting a review of the election preparations in three constituencies of Thane, Kalyan and Bhiwandi. Elections to 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in north Maharashtra and Mumbai Metropolitan Region will be held on May 20. Underscoring the need for seamless coordination among all systems to facilitate voting in Thane district in a transparent and secure manner, Chockalingam emphasized the role of the administration in upholding the democratic principles, and urged that collective efforts need to be taken to ensure transparent and fearless elections. Special initiatives to be undertaken to boost voter participation, including house-to-house outreach on the day of polling so that citizens are encouraged to cast their votes, he said.

Noting that Thane district has historically recorded low voter turnout, he stressed the need for roping in ASHA workers, anganwadi volunteers, village sevaks and employees of local self-government bodies to encourage voting. Chockalingam proposed engaging society secretaries and presidents as Booth Level Officers (BLO) to facilitate urban voter turnout.

To augment voter awareness, Chokkalingam suggested leveraging the influence of celebrities through social media campaigns. To increase voter convenience, he stressed the need for comfortable polling station facilities, including provisions for drinking water, toilets, and wheelchair accessibility, use of QR codes and Google Maps to facilitate easy location of polling stations. Meanwhile, Thane constituency's returning officer and Additional Collector Manisha Jaibhaye-Dhule said on Friday that a total of 300 persons with disability and voters above the age of 85 had opted for the vote-from- home option, of whom 272 voters exercised their franchise.