Groups, colleges pitch in to boost voter enrolment

Many procedures are online, and not as difficult as imagined, they tell young citizens and first-time applicants

Resident welfare associations and institutions are doing their bit to spread voter awareness.

Their efforts range from organising first-time voter registration drives to holding meetings with political parties and drafting manifestoes for their localities.

Assembly elections in Karnataka are slated for May 10, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Wednesday.

Students in focus

At National College, Jayanagar, the morning prayer assemblies between December and February were used to remind students of their duty to vote.

“We spoke about it eight or nine times and followed it up by sharing the registration link with the students. We insisted first-time applicants share their application numbers with us. And students who had already registered were asked to send us photos of their voter cards,” says Kamala Y C, principal of the college during this period.

The college has about 855 students and she is happy to report that 80% of the first-timers applied. She doesn’t know how many received their voter ID cards because the college “got busy with exams and evaluation” subsequently.

Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), a citizen’s collective, held voter awareness drives in about 15 colleges this season.

They informed students about Voter Helpline, an app to submit forms for registration and corrections and to look up their names in the electoral roll. Hostel wardens can issue letters as proof of residence for outstation students, they shared.

Students also aired their concerns. “Some had either not received their reference number or voter card,” B.PAC member Anand Thirtha says.

Apartment diaries

Marketing professional Sohil Dattani has facilitated BBMP camps in a big gated society in Yeshwanthpur, where he lives.

In the two camps held in December, about 580 people turned up with enquiries on how to link their voter card with Aadhaar, how to enrol as voters, and how to correct names and addresses, he recalls. A large part of his effort went into telling people that voter enrolment is not a tedious process. “In fact, it is now online and swift,” he says.

The Resident Welfare Association (RWA) in Koramangala 3rd Block did not hold registration drives this year. Former president Nitin Seshadri says sustained campaigns in and out of the polling season have ensured that almost every person of voting age in the area has done their duty.

Instead, the association hosted two meetings with major political parties and citizens, and will organise similar discussions with the final candidates through April. “All RWAs of Koramangala got together to draft a manifesto for our ward. We have already handed it over to two political parties,” he adds.

Their demands include completion of the Ejipura flyover, development of the Mestrikere lake, closure of commercial establishments in residential areas and opening of a single window for complaints, and extension of Metro connectivity. They have also listed their concerns about solid waste management, Bescom, BBMP, and the police.

This month, Bangalore Apartments’ Federation held 10 voter registration camps in Whitefield, Sarjapur and adjoining areas that are inhabited by people coming to Bengaluru for jobs. They saw 800 to 1,000 new sign-ups, according to Vikram Rai, general secretary. It will continue to amplify the ‘register if you haven’t’ message online for the next 10 days, and create awareness about political candidates going forward.

Tech under watch

B.PAC will target tech parks and CEOs in the coming days. “You did plantation drives. You volunteered at government schools. Now you must vote. This is your first social responsibility,” Anand says, in a stirring message for the much-vaunted IT sector.