COIMBATORE: To improve voters turnout in rural pockets of Pollachi, the district election officials are planning to take the traditional route of presenting invitations with a thamboolam to electorates as done in the case of weddings.
The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) shall hand over the invitations in the coming days. The electorates would be asked to consider the poll day as a family function and exercise their franchise without fail, sources said.
Already, residents of the Pollachi municipality have started receiving letters from the Postal department stressing the need to vote. Such initiatives are being implemented in a few places in Pollachi and Valparai constituencies which saw a low turnout during the 2016 Assembly elections.
Pollachi Sub-Collector R Vaithinathan, who came up with this idea, told TNIE, "Currently, we focus on sensitising voters sector-wise in those wards in Pollachi municipality limit which recorded the lowest polling turnout of 35 per cent in last Assembly elections. Recently, we conducted an awareness rally involving transgenders and briefed the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines to employees in coir industries. At least 40 per cent of those employed in the unorganised sector are from Tamil Nadu. Besides, our officials visited retirement homes and urged the inmates to exercise their franchise."
Furthermore, Vaithinathan said that they are attracting young voters by roping in cricketer Hari Nishanth, a native of Coimbatore, who has been bought by Chennai Super Kings for this IPL season. "We have decided to shoot an awareness video with the cricketing icon to encourage first-time voters to use their right. The clip will be released soon. Similarly, arrangements have been made to raise awareness at the booth level by VAOs. They will familiarise the booth agents with the poll protocols," he explained.
Efforts have been made to shoot another awareness video featuring actor Samuthirakani who is presently shooting for a film in Pollachi, Vaithinathan added.
A similar initiative was taken by Dharmapuri Collector S P Karthikaa on Tuesday. A press release stated that the collector invited 20 residents of Senthil Nagar in Illakkiyampatti with a thamboolam consisting of an invitation, fruits, betel leaves and areca nuts. She urged the electorates to not miss participating in the election festival on April 6, the release added.
(With inputs from Dharmapuri)