CESC releases helium balloons with messages on compulsory voting at 12 places; jatha taken out on main thoroughfares of city

Mysore/Mysuru: Under the aegis of District Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Committee and District Administration, Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) Limited launched an innovative campaign to create awareness on the importance of voting in the elections to Lok Sabha-2024 scheduled to be held in this part of the State in the first phase on Apr. 26.

Two big-size balloons, inflated with helium and printed with messages in Kannada reading ‘My Vote My Right’ and ‘My Vote Is Not For Sale’ were released into the sky, during voting awareness campaign organised at the premises of Kote Anjaneyaswamy temple, Mysore Palace North Gate last evening.

The CESC Officers and staff holding electric lamps and placards with slogan ‘My Vote is Compulsory for the sake of Constitution’, also took out a mammoth jatha that was flagged off by Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, who is also the District Electoral Officer after administering the oath on compulsory voting to the gathering.

The jatha passéd through Albert Victor road, K.R. Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road, Government Ayurveda Hospital Circle, Irwin road, SBI Circle, Ashoka Road and Doddagadiyara (Silver Jubilee Clock Tower) junction before culminating at the launch point.

 Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rajendra said “The voter slips containing the related information is being distributed to voters, with the sole intention to increase the percentage of voting and prompt the voters to exercise their franchise without fail.  By scanning the QR code printed on the back of voter slip, the voters can obtain information related to polling booths. The Booth Level Officers (BLO) are engaged in delivering the voter slip to the doorstep of every house.”

Dr. Rajendra also appealed CESC employees to share the task of reaching voter slips to every households, to fulfil the purpose of increasing the percentage of voting.

Film actor Gym Ravi said “Voting is like a festival and everybody should take part in the same with morality. Like how we maintain fitness of the body through daily work out, we should compulsorily vote to elect a better leader for the development of the country. Of late, there has been a growing tendency among majority of the people to consider the day of voting as a holiday, which is wrong. Voting is the right of all and everybody should exercise their franchise without fail, ignoring the attempts to lure them. Let’s all strive to ensure cent percent voting by morally casting the vote.”

The balloons can be seen at KSRTC bus stand, City Railway Station, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Circle (formerly Hardinge Circle), Ramaswamy Circle, Nada Prabhu Kempegowda Circle (Manipal Hospital junction), New DC’s Office premises at Siddarthanagar, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Circle (Bandipalya APMC Junction), Al-Badr Circle in Udayagiri, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Circle, Mahishasura Statue at Chamundi Hill, Millennium Circle (LIC Circle) in Bannimantap and Hinkal Outer Ring Road (ORR) junction.

City Police Commissioner B. Ramesh, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K.M. Gayathri, who is also the Chairperson of District SVEEP Committee, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Commissioner Dr. N.N. Madhu, Director (Technical) CESC K.V. Umesh Chandra, Chief Engineers Mahadeva Swamy and Prasanna, Superintending Engineer A.A. Sunil Kumar, Executive Engineers R. Poornachandra Tejaswi and S.B. Anitha and MCC Environmental Engineer S. Mythri and others were present.