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Mysuru may get SVEEP Museum

If the proposal becomes reality, it will probably be the first of its kind museum on democracy and elections
Last Updated 29 July 2021, 18:06 IST

It will be another feather in the cap of Mysuru, an important tourist as well as the academic hub of the region. The Election Commission has a proposal to set up Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Museum and Capacity Building Centre in the city.

If the proposal becomes reality, it will probably be the first of its kind museum on democracy and elections.

State Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar chaired a stakeholder consultation workshop in this regard at Zilla Panchayat Auditorium on Thursday.

He directed the officials of the Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM) to submit the final proposal by August 15. However, the executive director of GRAAM Basavaraju R Shreshta sought time till the end of August.

Mysuru advantage

Since Mysuru is a heritage city with a number of attractions, both domestic and international tourists visit in large numbers. Sanjeev Kumar said, no tourist will visit a city just to see one museum. “Setting up SVEEP Museum in Mysuru looks logical, as it can attract the tourists visiting Mysuru for other attractions. Hope the SVEEP Museum will create awareness and educate people, especially voters in democracies, about democracy, elections and the significance of exercising one’s vote without fail,” he said.

“Museums are better than classrooms and textbooks. A museum provides informal education, more effectively, as it provides a surreal experience. The establishment of a museum is easy, as a capital fund would not be a problem. But sustaining and maintaining it would be difficult. Thus, the museum should be self-sustaining, with operational autonomy, to get operational funds,” he said.

First voting system

Besides, Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, the 23rd Maharaja of the erstwhile Mysore state, instituted the Representative Assembly in 1881. This is the first democratic legislative institution in modern India. He came up with the idea of recruiting the officer directly to the municipality, to be elected by the elite. The same thought gave birth to the voting system.

In 1892, the Mysuru city was divided into seven mohallas — Lashkar, Mandi, Devaraja, Chamaraja, Krishnaraja, Fort and Nazarabad — after the municipal administrations, and the election took place in early September, the same year. Thus, a system of people’s representatives was formed.

In 1906, the municipality got legislative authority. For the first time, the ballot became eligible. There were 30 patrons in the three-year municipality. Twenty of them were eligible for selection. The city’s taxpayers, lawyers, government employees, Patel and graduates were the voters. The remaining 10 people were nominated by Reservation Policy (quota).

Only source of indelible ink

It is significant that Mysuru-based Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited (MPVL) is the only manufacturer of indelible ink, used to mark the fingers of voters during elections. MPVL, established in 1937 by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the 24th Maharaja of the erstwhile Mysore state, provides indelible ink to the Election Commission of India to be used across India. It also supplies the indelible ink for elections in several other countries.

Deputy Commissioner Bagadi Gautham, Superintendent of Police R Chetan, ZP CEO A M Yogeesh, Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy, Additional DC B S Manjunatha Swamy and representatives from museums, Tourism department, civil society organisations, industry, academia, youth and women participated in the workshop.

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(Published 29 July 2021, 16:37 IST)

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