THENI : As part of the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme, Returning Officer-cum-Collector RV Shajeevana inaugurated a 100% voting awareness campaign, an exhibition of fruits and vegetable carved and arranged in various shapes, including the logo of Election Commission of India (ECI), voting age, slogans like 'My vote is my right', date of polling among others, at the Theni Allinagaram vegetable market here on Tuesday. The event, which witnessed active participation from the public and buyers, aimed to create awareness and spread voter literacy among the people.
Soon after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election date, officials of every constituency, led by the respective returning officers, have been adopting varied methods to spread voting awareness under SVEEP, a flagship programme introduced by the ECI to popularise voter education in the country. Subsequently, in Theni Lok Sabha constituency, RV Shajeevana and her team implemented different initiatives to achieve 100% voting in the constituency, sources said.
Earlier, the collector had personally written letters to 219 transgender voters, describing the significance of exercising the democratic right to cast votes. Following this, they released a short film, narrating the need to cast votes, set in the backdrop of the lives of tribal communities. Further, the official inaugurated voting awareness campaigns in tribal areas by distributing pamphlets, flagged off transgender rallies, signature campaigns, organised street play, selfie stand among others, sources added.
Speaking to TNIE, RV Shajeevana said the idea for the exhibition was her brain child, and it was executed with the support of first-time voters studying in the Horticulture College in Periyakulam. "Over 10 students along with an expert jointly carved the designs on the vegetables and fruits without wastage. It was well-received by the public," she said, and added that a van campaign was also initiated in the tribal hamlets, where the polling turnout remains below 50%. Further, a short film on voting awareness was screened by the district administration in the hamlets in this regard, she added.