Special voter enrolment drive on Dec. 2 and 3 across Mysuru: DC

Mysore/Mysuru: Months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha (LS) elections, the Mysuru District Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Committee, the Election Commission of India, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and the District Administration have begun conducting voter awareness campaigns. 

An awareness jatha was held this morning from Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple till the Old Deputy Commissioner’s Office where officers and students walked, making people aware of their democratic right and responsibility. After the last Assembly elections, this is for the first time that such a jatha was held. Today’s jatha was supported by Rotary Ivory City.  

The highlight of the jatha was the announcement made by Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V.  Rajendra that a special voter enrolment drive will be conducted on Dec. 2 and 3 across the District at booth levels. New voters can enrol their names and errors, discrepancies can be rectified at booths set up near their homes.

Today’s jatha was marked by the participation of hundreds of students from JSS Arts and Commerce and Sheshadripuram College and NCC units. Inaugurating the jatha, DC Dr. Rajendra, who is also the District Electoral Officer, called upon voters to head to their nearest booth during the many special drives conducted by the SVEEP Committee ahead of the next elections. He also requested students above 18 years to enrol themselves in electoral rolls. He highlighted the importance of SVEEP and motivated students to cast their votes and advised students to spread awareness about SVEEP and special camps among their family members and friends.

“The message is about compulsory voting and ethical voting. Only if these two are exercised, we can root out electoral malpractices and at the same time make our future secure. The right to exercise one’s franchise forms the cornerstone of any democracy. The essence of democracy lies in voting. The voting has to be done with discretion and with full knowledge of what’s going on,” he added.

Ahead of every election, the SVEEP Committee organises various initiatives to attract voters to the polling booth. Its multi-intervention programmes reach out through different modes and media to educate citizens, electors and voters about the electoral process.

Despite the well-intentioned efforts of the District Administration and the SVEEP Committee, urban voter apathy becomes evident in post-election analysis when the voting percentage is tabulated. The last elections in the three Assembly segments in Mysuru revealed low percentages, nullifying the extensive efforts. KR Constituency had the lowest voter turnout at 59.55 percent, while Chamaraja and NR Constituency recorded 61.05 percent and 61.43 percent, respectively.

Zilla Panchayat CEO K.M. Gayathri, who is also the Mysuru District SVEEP Committee Chairman, MCC Deputy Commissioner Somashekar, International yoga exponent from Mysuru H. Kushi, who is the SVEEP District Icon were present during the jatha.