Mysore/Mysuru: Additional Chief Electoral Officer M. Kurma Rao on Monday directed the Mysuru District Administration officials to initiate all measures to increase voter turnout in the upcoming Parliamentary polls.

He was speaking after presiding over the SVEEP (Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation) Committee meeting held at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner in Siddarthanagar here yesterday.

Pointing out that the urban Assembly segments of the city — Krishnaraja, Narasimharaja and Chamaraja — had recorded low voter turnout in the last Assembly polls as compared to rural Constituencies of the district,  Kurma Rao said officials must soon identify the polling booths which recorded poor voter turnout and initiate measures to sensitise the voters about the importance of voting.

He asked the officials to undertake voter turnout increasing awareness activities in all Electoral Literacy Clubs constituted by the District Administration’s election branch under SVEEP initiative of the Election Commission for improving voter participation.

ZP CEO K.M. Gayathri said that the district SVEEP Committee has formed 822 Electoral Literacy Clubs to sensitise the voters about the importance of voting. Apart from this, voters were also educated through holding of rallies, walkathons, painting and drawing competitions for students, essay writing and speech competitions,  she added.

Officials from various Departments and Booth Level Officers were present at the meeting.