By Willie Gordon Suting
With just two days to go for the Assembly polls, the Election Department has geared up for the final push to the electorate to exercise their democratic rights the right way. In the initial legs of the election warm-up sessions, the department, headed by Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Kharkongor, went full throttle to encourage voters to follow free and fair polls by uniting against lure of lucre and not getting befuddled by drink. It also introduced voters to new technology and organised awareness programmes consistently even in villages in the back of beyond.
There were perceived doubts on the use of VVPATs due to video clips circulating on social media. But the department had sought to make people aware through various programmes to demonstrate the justness and fairness of these machines.
Nodal persons trained and guided sensitised citizens on how to vote with VVPATs. The Election Department had toured extensively through all parts of the state organising public outreach programmes in all the 11 districts and 3,082 polling station areas covering 60 Assembly constituencies.
Not only was an EVM Sensitisation and Hands-on Experience Centre set up in the state capital, EVM-VVPAT democracy vans loaded with audio-visual materials were deployed in all districts. Special days like Republic Day, National Youth Day, National Voters Day and market days (Sngi Iew) were leveraged effectively for EVM-VVPAT awareness.
Youth-oriented festivals like 18 Degrees and Cherry Blossom had EVM-VVPAT stalls with high footfalls from youths. Such special days had been a platform for the Election Department.
The department this year had come up with an aggressive and more visible awareness campaign employing and deploying measures which combine a mix of efficient strategies.
With the majority of the populace comprising youths, the department had collaborated with various media for spreading information. Road shows and contests were held with Red FM in rural market areas.
Media organisations like All India Radio, Doordarshan Kendra Shillong, NE Live and Batesi TV and the print medium helped with regular information dissemination on VVPAT and its use, besides EVM through news, updates, programmes, discussions etc. BSNL is also on the anvil to disseminate information through bulk SMS.
The Chief Electoral Officer’s Facebook pages are regularly disseminating awareness messages in text and multimedia forms.
Attractive prominently positioned hoardings and banners had been displayed in all important places of heavy footfall across all districts.
The Election department had also organised street plays in collaboration with local theatre and cultural groups in traditional market locations in all districts. Modern art and graffiti spreading awareness adorn the walls and rocks.
On Saturday, the department rocked before downing the curtain on the big show. “The Rock the Boat With your Vote concert will be well received by the public,” Kharkongor had told Sunday Shillong a few days before the event. And so it did.
“With 4.5 per cent of youths comprising the voting populace, this was a youth-oriented event with Meghalaya’s first floating stage with laser, sound and light show,” he had said.
The big event held in Ward’s Lake had Summersalt, Khasi Bloodz and featured artistes performing Tarak Tak Tak, the election song. There were also performances by Haystack Ladies and Light After Dark, a band by the visually impaired.
As part of the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) awareness programmes, skit competitions and Phawar events focused on ethical voting were organised in every district, especially the rural pockets. For instance in Tura, Students of Christian Girls Higher Secondary, Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, Don Bosco College, Government Boys Higher Secondary School, College of Home Science, Tura Government College, North Eastern Hill University, English Department, Bachelor of Education, Rongkhon, Don Bosco College of Teacher Education and ICFAI University, were taken on board.
The Election Department, in coordination with National Informatics Centre, has also developed the election app Meghalaya Votes which had 1000 plus downloads on Play Store. The app provides all important information like schedule of elections, details of candidates, polling stations and voting booths. “I will have an interview with All india Radio regarding awareness on different aspects of the election,” said Kharkongor. Regarding social media, he added, “We have also tied up with Facebook to send notifications to all account users concerning the Meghalaya election.”
There will be voting pamphlet guide and photo-voter slip for each voter at respective election venues. The Election Department has 67 women polling stations and voting booths for the disabled and old aged.
Reflecting on the recent violence in Garo Hills, Kharkongor said, “People of Garo hills should vote without fear. They should feel free to exercise their voting rights. One incident of violence should not stifle the democratic process,” the CEO sounded determined.
