Free Poha-Jalebi To Movie Ticket Discounts: How Cities Struggling With ‘Urban Apathy’ Are Luring Voters To Polling Booths
Cities are offering various incentives to increase voter turnout. (Image: Shutterstock)
India successfully completed three of the seven phases of polling for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Tuesday, however, the trend of low voter turnout seemed to continue. In efforts to raise awareness regarding the importance of the vote, the Election Commission along with local administrations and others are coming up with unique initiatives to increase the turnout of voters in the remaining four phases, scheduled to take place on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.
The poll body recorded a voter turnout of 66.14 percent in Phase 1 and 66.71 percent in Phase 2. Meanwhile, the approximate voter turnout figures for polling in Phase 3 Lok Sabha elections 2024 stands at 65.68 percent.
While the electoral participation turned out to be one of the best when compared with the past few years, concerns over the low voter turnout were raised as the trend somewhat lags behind the high benchmarks of the 2019 Lok Sabha Polls.
The “Urban apathy” in several cities remained a cause for concern towards voting during election season and therefore, multiple efforts are being taken up by the state poll bodies, local administration and restaurant owners among others to “double up” their efforts towards making people vote.
Delhi Gets Paid Holiday
Leaving people with no option to ditch the polling day in the national capital, which is expected to go to polls in the sixth phase on May 25, the Chief Electoral Office of Delhi has announced a paid holiday in the city giving people time to vote.
According to the order, all eligible employees — public or private — who are voters in Delhi are entitled to a paid holiday to exercise their democratic right to vote on the polling day, reported news agency PTI.
Mumbai Metro Special Offer
In an effort to boost voter turnout during polling Lok Sabha elections on May 20, the commuters of Metro Lines 2A and 7 will get a special 10 percent discount on the voting day. Commuters of Mumbai Metro, utilising Mumbai 1 Card, Paper QR, and paper tickets will enjoy the privilege to travel to the polling stations and return home after voting with a special discount of 10 percent on a base fare.
Freebies To Lure Voters in MP
Luring voters towards exercising their ‘Right To Vote’, several freebies are being announced across the country in efforts to get people get their fingers inked.
In MP’s Bhopal and Gwalior, which voted on Tuesday, and also in Indore, which will vote on May 13, bus operators have promised free rides for three days for those who have voted. In addition to this, lucky draws are also being held at polling booths for T-shirts and caps.
In fact, in Bhopal, people who voted on Tuesday even had a chance to win diamond rings, refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, and many more.
Traders’ Associations in Indore have announced that it will distribute free breakfast of poha and jalebi and pathology labs discounts to voters if they show an inked finger.
Discounts on Movie Tickets in Gurugram
The Gurugram district administration in order to increase the turnout of voters in the May 25 (Saturday) Lok Sabha polls in the Gurugram Parliamentary constituency has partnered with various multiplex chains and announced discounts on movie tickets and food items for people going to vote. The voter has to just flaunt his or her inked finger on the polling day to get a discount on offline tickets available from the counter or on food and drinks available on the cinema hall premises.
A single-phase voting will be held in all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana on May 25. An official on Wednesday said that all one needs to do is flaunt his or her inked finger on the polling day to get a discount on offline tickets available from the counter or on food and drinks available on the cinema hall premises.
BJP Leader’s Appeal To Boost South Mumbai Voter Turnout
Amid the low turnout for Lok Sabha elections, Makarand Narwekar, former corporator and local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Colaba, has urged housing societies, federations, Advanced Locality Managements (ALMs) and resident associations to dissuade citizens from going on vacations on May 20 – the day Mumbai votes.
Narwekar, the brother of Maharashtra Assembly Speaker and South Mumbai MLA Rahul Narwekar, has also urged travel agents and companies not to charge minimum or cancellation fees for rescheduling and to offer discounts for post-voting vacation bookings.
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