Freebies galore to lure voters to polling booth

HUBBALLI: The district Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) committee is trying its best to lure young voters to the polling booth on April 23.

SVEEP

and the social welfare department here have launched the ‘Take a

selfie

with inked finger and get a prize’ drive in Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency.


SVEEP committee district chairman B C Satish told TOI, “Today’s younger generation has the habit of taking selfies. So, we hit upon the idea of encouraging first time young voters to take a selfie outside their polling booth flaunting the inked finger and send it to WhatsApp numbers allotted to them in the public domain.”

“They can also send selfies taken with their friends and family members after exercising their franchise and within 24 hours of voting. The committee members will check all the selfies sent by first time voters and we will give rewards to the best individual, group and family selfies. We will give incentives and gift coupons to the winners,” said Satish.

N Muniraju, joint director, social welfare department, Dharwad said, “We have asked each inmate of 18 college hostels who are eligible to vote to send selfies with an inked finger. The inmates must send selfies showing the inked finger to wardens of their respective hostels. The warden will forward the pictures to the department’s WhatsApp group and our officials will scrutinize each selfie and announce rewards.”

Free entry

at parks

Showing your inked finger will also get you free entry in to parks in the city. On April 23, entry is free at Sadhankeri Park, KC

Park

in Dharwad, Mahatma Gandhi Park and Unkal Lake Park for all people who have voted.

HDMC

charges a maximum entry fee of Rs 10 at its parks. HDMC commissioner Prashant Kumar Mishra hoped this initiative will help increase polling in the twin cities. With April 23 being a holiday, the number of visitors to parks is expected to be high. Jyothi Kumar, a student, said the fee waiver was not too much but added that the initiative will create awareness among voters.

25 Ola cabs will provide free rides

Cab aggregator Ola will ferry physically challenged and other needy persons to polling booths on April 23 free of charge. It will hand over 25 cabs to the district SVEEP committee on Tuesday in the twin cities. It will also give 25 cabs in Belagavi and 10 each in Ballari and Kalaburagi.

District SVEEP chairman B C Satish said they have hired 787 vehicles to ferry more than 13,000 physically challenged persons in the district to polling booths. “Out the 787, Ola is giving 25 cabs in Hubballi-Dharwad. Those who need a ride can make a request on the Chunavana app or by calling the helpline number 1950 and providing their EPIC number,” he said. Each vehicle will be accompanied by a multipurpose rehabilitation worker, he added.

Ola city manager Lalit Silaveri the firm had provided this service in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mangaluru on April 18. “We will also ferry pregnant women and senior citizens,” he added.