Drawing rangoli to draw voters to booths

The Election Commission (EC) and the Palike, it seems, are falling back on the medium of art to reach the voters’ hearts and make them head for the polling booths, come April 17.

Under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme, the BBMP is scheduled to identify 2,000 houses across the City and draw Rangoli in front of them, in uniform design, to drive home the importance of voting. 

BBMP officials state that Rangoli will help reach the message to people who take a walk on the streets in residential areas and to motorists who pass by. The Palike is embarking on the exercise in the next two days.

The EC has also approved flash mobs and using the services of youth ambassadors to popularise voting among youngsters. 

There will be flash mobs in shopping malls and other crowded locations to attract attention. 

Popular students in colleges will spread the awareness on the importance of exercising one’s franchise. The in-house ambassadors will ensure that they connect with the students in their colleges and ensure that they vote.

The advertisement blitzkrieg of the EC will also continue, with most of the ads featuring ambassadors like former president A P J Abdul Kalam, shuttler Saina Nehwal and pugilist Mary Kom.

Advertisements in newspapers and regional channels, apart from radio jingles, will be intensified by the EC and the BBMP. 

The EC has also tied-up with the Railways, to utilise their public address system at every station in the State to air advertisements and scrolls, asking citizens to vote.

Addressing a press conference in Bangalore, Officer on Special Duty (expenditure and monitoring) V Ponnuraj said that under SVEEP, there is a proposal to distribute “thanking letters” to voters in select polling stations.

The number of the polling stations and the content of the letters will be finalised soon, he said. 

Ponnuraj said the Information department and Kannada and Culture department will host street plays across the State on the importance of voting.

Nandini milk packets will also have messages on the importance of voting, he said.