SHILLONG: For the time in the state and in the North East, a floating stage was created in Ward’s Lake as part of the Voters’ Festival organised by the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer to attract the young voters through the medium of music.The festival drew the attention of young voters or the millennium voters to picturesque Ward’s Lake which was decked up for the event with beats from different musicians resonated in the air. “We want to encourage the young voters because we want to educate them to give them awareness because it is their right to choose their own legislator to form the government,” Iron Zeal Wreang, an elected official told reporters on Saturday. When asked on the effectiveness of using music to draw the crowd of young voters, he said that music has helped to boost the programmes as it is a uniting medium. He pointed to the EVM machine displayed for first-time voters. Wreang said road shows and other programmes in local markets imparted a boost to the electoral awareness programmes which, he observed, was a indication that young voters wanted change. Speaking to some first-time voters, Pyndaplang Kharmalki was excited and said he would vote for the best. A shy first-time voter, Robert smiled and said he was excited while another girl, Chin Chin said she would vote for the person who would bring about a change.
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