THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has rolled out a digital campaign aimed at motivating college students and first-time voters to take part in the upcoming Assembly elections.
As part of the initiative, young people are encouraged to display a 'My Vote Power' badge on their social media profiles, symbolising their sense of ownership and responsibility in the democratic process.
The campaign targets over 4.6 lakh first-time voters in colleges, many of whom are already associated with Startup Mission activities.
According to Ashok Kurian Panjikaran, Senior Manager at KSUM, the badge serves as a public commitment. "When participants adopt the badge, they signal their intent on social media, increasing the likelihood that they will vote. We are seeing very positive responses," he said. He added that the campaign would be considered successful if at least 10% of the participating youth exercise their voting rights.
KSUM plays a significant role in engaging college students through its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (IEDCs), which operate in around 500 institutions across the state.
These centres, established in engineering, management, arts and science colleges, medical institutions, polytechnics, and universities, provide students with platforms to innovate and experiment. Each IEDC typically has at least 100 actively involved students.
Officials believe the social media badge can further influence peers and followers by spreading awareness and encouraging participation.
The campaign comes at a time when studies indicate relatively low enthusiasm among youth aged 18-25 to engage in the electoral process. Data from the Election Commission shows that less than 40% of 18-19-year-olds registered for the 2024 elections, while the total number of voters under 30 remains below 50 lakh.
KSUM's initiative complements efforts by the Election Commission to boost youth turnout ahead of polling on April 9. As part of the campaign, halwa packets will be distributed to 200 first-time voters in each district. Additionally, the Chief Electoral Officer has launched a statewide awareness drive titled 'Ente Vote, Ente Shakthi' (My Vote, My Strength), which began on March 28. A related outreach programme was also held at Technopark, where tech professionals and employees took a voter pledge and were encouraged to actively participate in the electoral process.
Total voters: 2.71 crore voters
Voters in the 18-19 age group: 4,66,408 ( 2,34,707 male voters and 2,31,701 female voters)