NILGIRIS: In a bid to raise awareness about voting in the upcoming 2026 Assembly election among the younger population, Collector and District Election Officer Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru unveiled the election mascot — the Nilgiri flycatcher — at the collectorate, on Monday.
After releasing the mascot and the slogan "Voice of Hills - Our Vote (Malaiyin Kural - Nam Vaakku), the district collector christened the election mascot as 'Neela' and handed over the mascot to young voters studying at Government Arts College in Udhagamandalam during the launch.
The collector said the Nilgiri flycatcher was chosen by the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation Programme (SVEEP) and the election mascot was launched to create voting awareness among the younger generation, especially new voters.
Udayakumar, a BA Economics student, said he is happy he will be voting for the first time in the upcoming election. “I am very interested to be part of the election process.”
Nilgiris Additional Collector Abhilasha Kour, who helped choose the Nilgiri flycatcher as the election mascot, said it is an endemic bird species of the region and choosing it as the mascot strongly reflects the unique identity, pride and ecological heritage of the Nilgiris. Just as the bird's call is heard across the hills, every citizen's vote represents their voice in democracy.
"We are also carrying out habitation-wise awareness activities. Despite the cold and harsh weather conditions across the district, we are trying various means to attract voters," said the official.