The brand Dhoni was successful in pushing up the voter turnout in Jharkhand. The Election commission of India has plans to come up with other ambitious plans involving celebrities.‘Pappu pass ho gaya’ campaign worked really well in Delhi.Quraishi aid that not voting is a fashion statement in big cities.
This report was published in Hindu on August 1 2010:
After the success of brand M. S. Dhoni in pushing up the voter turnout in Jharkhand, the Election Commission plans to rope in celebrities in an ambitious move to encourage people to vote in large numbers.
Newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi is upbeat about the voter education campaigns through celebrities following success of his experiments in Delhi and Jharkhand.
Voter percentage in Jharkhand rose from 51 to 58 per cent after cricketer M. S. Dhoni batted for the cause of democracy shortly before the 2009 assembly polls there, he told PTI in an interview.
‘Pappu pass ho gaya’ campaign worked wonders in Delhi, he said, suggesting the exercise of right to vote be made a proud duty of a citizen.
Mr. Quraishi, who would be conducting assembly polls in Bihar this year and those of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry next year, said the EC plans to focus on the youth and would rope in celebrities to reach out to them.
Asked which all celebrities would the EC approach, he said details are not yet decided.
“In big cities, people not only not vote but make fashion statement (of not voting),” Mr. Quraishi said, adding the EC would go the extra mile to ensure that the holiday for exercising the franchise is not misused by people by going in for family vacation.
“We will ensure that the poll day will not be Monday or Friday,” he said.
Talking about his immediate task of conducting assembly elections in Bihar, he said the full Commission will be visit the state for two days next week to oversee preparations for the assembly polls due in October.
The Commission would hold discussions with senior officials of the state on August 8 and 9 as part of reviewing progress in preparation of photo electoral rolls, distribution of Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) and cleaning up of the rolls.
Attaching “high priority” to the conduct of assembly polls in Bihar, Mr. Quraishi said “we are satisfied with our last visit to the state. The election in Bihar is very important.”
The CEC said special efforts will be made to ensure that every single eligible voter is on the rolls. The Commission will consider factors like examination, monsoon, festivals, law and order and force requirement before finalizing the poll schedule.
Mr. Quraishi said the Commission would visit West Bengal this month to review preparedness in the state where assembly polls are due by June next.
Replying to a question on Maoists problem in the state, he said every state has its own character and own set of problems and the EC would evaluate the situation and come out with its “response”.
“We hope there will be good and peaceful elections in West Bengal,” he said.
Ruling out advancing of assembly polls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the CEC said the EC would come into the picture only six months before the due date.
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has been insisting on early polls in the Left-ruled state citing “breakdown” of law and order there.
Showing posts with label voting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voting. Show all posts
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Non-voting should be an embarrassment, says new CEC, S Y Quraishi
CE designate SY Quraishi said that non voting should be an embarrassment.He said that the health of the electoral roll shows the health of democracy. quraishi wants the work of issuing photo-ID cards to be expedited. Pappu campaign in Delhi worked well, he said.
This article titled "Non-voting should be an embarrassment, says new CEC, S Y Qureshi" was published in The Times of India on July 29th 2010.
After four years in the Election Commission, CEC-designate SY Quraishi has a clear idea of the priorities and concerns that he would like to address over the next two years.
Notwithstanding repeated attempts by various political parties and some civil society groups, Quraishi swears by Electronic Voting Machines and sees no reason why they should be done away with. But he is open to evolving additional checks to reduce chances of their abuse. He is also happy with the effectiveness of the model code of conduct and would not like it to be codified.
Quraishi is happy with the electoral reforms carried out by the government but would like that the others are also dealt with. He also thanks the Supreme Court for guarding neutrality of EC and insulating it from political pressure.
"I have no new wheel to invent," Quraishi said, speaking to TOI, a day after the formal announcement of his appointment as CEC. What tops is his list is voter education, something that he has been closely involved with in the EC for the past two years. He even got a separate division that works for larger participation of people. "I often say that the health of the electoral roll shows the health of democracy. If feasible, I would like to see the day when a citizen's charter is prepared which says that if any citizen is missing from the electoral roll we should fine ourselves Rs 100 a day for not putting someone on it," he says.
In the next few months, he plans a national consultation on voter participation.
Quraishi would also like to see that the work of issuing photo-ID cards is expedited. "There is no other service in the country that comes to your doorstep," he says.
The CEC-designate is also passionate about working to improve the voter turnout in urban areas. His intervention in Delhi and Jharkhand saw significant increase in the turnout. "People who do not vote are the biggest critics. While scheduling an election in a big city we have to see that it is not on a Monday, otherwise people take it as an extended weekend," he says.
Thankfully, he says, the `Pappu' campaign in Delhi worked well. Also, roping in cricket captain MS Dhoni in Jharkhand saw increase in voting from 51% to 58%. "We want to see that non-voting, instead of a fashion statement, becomes a source of embarrassment," he says.
The expenditure by candidates during elections is another headache and Quraishi wants to set up an expenditure monitoring division that will be manned by Indian Revenue Service officers. "We will staff it properly and give it more teeth," he says.
Another issue he is concerned about is paid news which, he says, is detrimental to democracy. "The phenomenon is not limited to elections. But we would like to appeal to media houses to be more vigilant," he says.
This article titled "Non-voting should be an embarrassment, says new CEC, S Y Qureshi" was published in The Times of India on July 29th 2010.
After four years in the Election Commission, CEC-designate SY Quraishi has a clear idea of the priorities and concerns that he would like to address over the next two years.
Notwithstanding repeated attempts by various political parties and some civil society groups, Quraishi swears by Electronic Voting Machines and sees no reason why they should be done away with. But he is open to evolving additional checks to reduce chances of their abuse. He is also happy with the effectiveness of the model code of conduct and would not like it to be codified.
Quraishi is happy with the electoral reforms carried out by the government but would like that the others are also dealt with. He also thanks the Supreme Court for guarding neutrality of EC and insulating it from political pressure.
"I have no new wheel to invent," Quraishi said, speaking to TOI, a day after the formal announcement of his appointment as CEC. What tops is his list is voter education, something that he has been closely involved with in the EC for the past two years. He even got a separate division that works for larger participation of people. "I often say that the health of the electoral roll shows the health of democracy. If feasible, I would like to see the day when a citizen's charter is prepared which says that if any citizen is missing from the electoral roll we should fine ourselves Rs 100 a day for not putting someone on it," he says.
In the next few months, he plans a national consultation on voter participation.
Quraishi would also like to see that the work of issuing photo-ID cards is expedited. "There is no other service in the country that comes to your doorstep," he says.
The CEC-designate is also passionate about working to improve the voter turnout in urban areas. His intervention in Delhi and Jharkhand saw significant increase in the turnout. "People who do not vote are the biggest critics. While scheduling an election in a big city we have to see that it is not on a Monday, otherwise people take it as an extended weekend," he says.
Thankfully, he says, the `Pappu' campaign in Delhi worked well. Also, roping in cricket captain MS Dhoni in Jharkhand saw increase in voting from 51% to 58%. "We want to see that non-voting, instead of a fashion statement, becomes a source of embarrassment," he says.
The expenditure by candidates during elections is another headache and Quraishi wants to set up an expenditure monitoring division that will be manned by Indian Revenue Service officers. "We will staff it properly and give it more teeth," he says.
Another issue he is concerned about is paid news which, he says, is detrimental to democracy. "The phenomenon is not limited to elections. But we would like to appeal to media houses to be more vigilant," he says.
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