Srinagar: A street play was organized by District Election Officer Srinagar under the banner of SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation), aimed to educate first-time voters about the importance of voting and electoral participation at Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower) in city central, Lalchowk, Srinagar on Saturday, April 13.
The programme featured ‘Nukkad Natak’ which was performed by Rayees Wathori, a theatre artist along with other participants to bring awareness about the importance of voting through folk songs, plays and drama.
The main slogan during the play remained “Hum vote dalen– let’s vote”.
District Election Officer Dr. Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat who is also the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar said that the programme was organized to bring awareness about the importance of voting amongst the citizens.
He further said that such programmes are being conducted and would be conducted in the coming days as well so that we receive a good voter turnout this session.
“If we talk about the parliamentary elections of 2019 or even before that, the voter turnout used to be very low, but now by organizing such awareness programmes under SVEEP we believe that we will achieve good voting turnout this year,” he added.
“Without differentiating people on the basis of caste, race etc. our constitution has given voting rights to everyone above 18 and it is our responsibility to create such awareness programs in our Assembly constituencies, where we can bring awareness amongst the people especially the young voters about how important it is to cast their vote and make the democracy stronger. Such initiatives are crucial for strengthening democratic processes and promoting active citizenship,” he added.
The programme was attended by hundreds of people, especially young students who were voting for the first time.
“It will be the first time that I will be casting my vote and I think all the awareness programmes under SVEEP are helping people like me to know more about the power and the importance of voting,” says Rumaisa, a young student from Lalchowk.
Another girl named Shafia, who is also voting for the first time said, “It is for the first time that I will be going out to vote and it is a happy moment for me. I am not 18, but more than that, the reason to cast my vote for the first time is that there will be no threat as there used to be earlier. I would always be afraid to go and cast my vote but now the situation has changed and I am happy that I will be casting my first vote.”
“Election is a festival, one of the biggest festivals I can say, and voting is the lifeline of democracy. We all must participate in the electoral process and must cast our vote to choose our representative.” said another female student Sabahat Nazir.
It is important to mention that the ECI has scheduled elections for J&K’s five parliamentary constituencies in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20.
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