IAS officer sends out postcards to first-time voters
What's the story
The six-week polling for the Lok Sabha Elections of 2019 kick-started on April 11 and will end on May 19.
As Gujarat's polling date approaches, the District Collector (DC) of Ahmedabad, Vikrant Pandey has taken an innovative step to encourage first-time voters.
The DC office is sending out postcards to the first-time voters and urging them to come out and exercise their right.
Statement
'We've got 1 lakh 1 thousand postcards written by citizens'
While talking to Asian News International (ANI), Pandey said, "As a part of the awareness program, we have got 1 lakh 1 thousand postcards written by citizens of Ahmedabad to appeal to the first-time voters to cast their vote on 23 April."
He further added, "To eliminate the possibility of any political message going into the postcards, we had scrutinized them thoroughly."
Details
Several students and teachers from Ahmedabad made the postcards
As per the DC, many students and teachers from Ahmedabad have made those postcards.
According to Sunil Sharma, Director of Postal services (Gujarat circle), special arrangements have been made to make sure the postcards are delivered before the polling day.
26 parliamentary constituencies in Gujarat are all set to go to polling in the third phase of polling on April 23.
Another campaign
Separately, 45-year-old Patna man urges people to vote this elections
Separately, a 45-year-old man in Patna, Bihar, is also educating people about their voting rights.
Lal Mani Das, who sells pakodas, rides a bicycle, wears banners on his body, and hits the chaotic roads to urge people to vote and strengthen democracy.
He's encouraging people to vote using their brains, and not on basis of ideology, and has spent Rs. 10,000 for his campaign.
Checklist
Das requests people to screen their candidates carefully before voting
Das also wears a checklist, which he drafted, that includes things to look out for in a candidate, including their spending habits, criminal pasts and honesty.
He wants people to screen the candidates carefully before voting.
Moreover, he suggests people to vote for 'None of the above' or NOTA (60 lakh people pressed NOTA in 2014 elections) if no one passes their criteria.