Berhampur: Selfie points to attract voters in Kandhamal

Berhampur : Kandhamal district administration has set up special selfie points and organised street plays and a ‘rangoli’ competition to maximise voter turnout.

These efforts, part of the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme, aim to raise awareness and encourage people, especially young voters, to exercise their voting rights, said Ashish Ishwar Patil, Kandhamal Collector. Selfie points, adorned with slogans like ‘My vote My Rights’ and ‘Ready to vote on May 20’, have been established at strategic locations.

“The selfie points are not only a place to click pictures, but to motivate young voters to participate enthusiastically in the elections,” said Rina Pradhan, Sub-Collector, Baliguda. “We are happy as several people have clicked their pictures at the selfie points”, she said.

Additionally, voter awareness was boosted through a ‘rangoli’ competition and human-chain formations by school students in Baliguda stadium . Around 80 girls participated in the competition, she added.

Street plays, such as “Nirvachana Parba, Desha ra Garba” and “Sahara thu Gaon, vote dei Rakhiba Na,” were performed in Phulbani to further educate the public about the importance of voting. The tribal-dominated Kandhamal district has three Assembly constituencies – Phulbani, Baliguda and G Udayagiri – all reserved for the Scheduled Tribe.

In 2019, Baliguda recorded 70.64 per cent voting, G Udayagiri (68.67%) and Phulbani (72.36%), officials said. As a part of the SVEEP, Ganjam district administration also put up a sand art at Gopalpur beach, disseminating the message “for more voting in the D-Day and my vote, my rights” on Sunday.