Delhi poll officials appeal to voters in innovative ways

New Delhi: A heritage walk through the by-lanes of Old Delhi, tree plantation by local residents and a qawwali evening are among the innovative ways through which the poll body in the city is raising awareness on voting ahead of the May 12 election here.

Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh said the Systematic Voter's Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) team and the Returning Officers in the seven constituencies have also taken several initiatives to achieve maximum outreach.

Singh said a huge hydrogen balloon has been installed in Amar Colony to attract people's attention and it carries a message 'Vote on May 12'. "The Election Commission has made endeavours to ensure no voter is left behind and we have taken various steps in Delhi to reach out to voters, in interior areas and in open parks, among other places, but innovation is the key," Singh said.

As many as 164 candidates are in fray in Delhi, where the polls are largely being seen as a triangular contest among the AAP, BJP and the Congress. Of the over 1.43 crore eligible voters in Delhi, 78,73,022 are male and 64,42,762 females, while 669 belong to the third gender.

"While devising various initiatives under the SVEEP programme, the idea was to reach out to those places a well where turnout have been low in the past. And a number of wonderful initiatives being taken across the constituency, we are hoping that there would be an increase in voter turnout this year," Singh told PTI.

Seeking to reach out to people in the Walled City, Delhi CEO Office, in partnership with INTACH and a local NGO, had organised a heritage walk in its by-lanes, raising awareness on the city's-built legacy as well on voting simultaneously. "During the walk, several people got curious and joined it and that helps in raising awareness as our officials carry pamphlets and other educational material for distribution," he said.

They are also reaching out to morning walkers and joggers in various parks and handling them pamphlets and other voter awareness material. A qawalli performance by Nizami brothers was held recently in the premises of a college in Chandni Chowk constituency, besides a special app dedicated to facilitate voters in accessing poll-related information, that was launched late April.

In North West Delhi constituency, a plantation drive has been started under which polling officials would encourage people to plant trees while taking pledge to vote, officials said, adding that about 1.25 lakh trees are to be planted under the drive.