EC to adopt Chandigarh pattern to increase voter turnout in MCD election

Ad campaigns,radio jingles helped boost voting percentage,Delhi to do the same.

With civic polls just two months away in the Capital,the Delhi Election Commission is formulating an awareness campaign to ensure better voter turnout. It is looking to replicate the success achieved in Chandigarh for the municipal elections in December last year.

The MCD polls in 2007 witnessed a polling percentage of merely 40 per cent,whereas,the turnout in the 2010 civic polls in Chandigarh was 60 per cent a target Delhi wants to achieve in the civic body elections in April.

Our awareness campaign to persuade people to exercise their franchise was very successful in Punjab. The state where the polling percentage once was just 40 per cent went up to 60 per cent. We will adopt similar steps to increase the voter turnout. It wont be a replica of the Punjab election awareness campaign,but would be more innovative in order to repeat the success rate in MCD polls, said Rakesh Mehta,the Delhi Election Commissioner,who also heads the poll panel in Punjab.

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The Election Commission had organised seminars and prepared advertisement jingles for radio and TV in Chandigarh. Also,billboards and banners were put up to draw attention of people frequenting highways and major roads. Thus,residents of high-profile pockets too turned up at the polling booths,he said.

We have called a meeting where all the advertising agencies have been invited. The plan is to run similar ad campaigns to promote MCD elections. Catchy jingles shall be created for radios and TV. Our attention shall be focused on augmenting youth turnout at the polling booths, Mehta said.

The MCD polls will also witness nearly 10 per cent rise in the number of polling booths. The city will have around 13,000 polling booths with over 70,000 election officers and staff on duty.

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