Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: 'Halwa' for first-time voters: Election Commission

Thiruvananthapuram: First-time voters casting their franchise in the April 9 Assembly polls in Kerala will receive ‘halwa’ under an innovative Election Commission initiative.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rathan U Kelkar has announced a special drive titled ‘Vote Sweetened Kerala Campaign’ to encourage youth participation in the upcoming polls. An order in this regard was issued on March 29.

According to the order, specially branded halwa will be distributed to first-time voters at selected polling booths across districts as part of efforts to boost youth voter turnout.

The directive states that 200 halwa packets will be delivered to the offices of District Election Officers (DEOs), who will identify the polling booths for the initiative.

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and volunteers will be responsible for verifying first-time voters and ensuring the distribution of the halwa packets at designated booths.

The order further emphasises that the distribution process must not obstruct election procedures, and additional volunteers may be deployed to assist BLOs if required.

DEOs have also been instructed to ensure brief photographic or video documentation of the halwa distribution for public awareness and reporting purposes, the order added.