Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 27: The District Election Office Jammu today organized a unique and comprehensive voter awareness campaign featuring over 8,000 events, and a participation of over 800,000 individuals, all within a single day.
Held under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program ahead of Phase 3 polling in Jammu district, and spearheaded by Sachin Kumar Vaishya, District Election Officer (DEO), the initiative was one of the most widespread electoral awareness campaigns in the region.
The events, organised across the district at all district offices, sectoral offices, sub-offices, polling stations, and in all the educational institutions including University of Jammu, colleges, and schools, were designed to educate, encourage and empower the electorate, focusing especially on new voters, ensuring they understand the importance of their participation in the democratic process.
One of the highlights of the campaign was rallies taken out by various colleges including Women’s College Parade, SPMR College, Science College, MAM College, Women’s College Gandhi Nagar, Polytechnic College, GCOE, GDC Paloura, GDC Kunjwani, which after passing through different routes, culminated at Jammu University. Two rallies, from MAM College and SPMR College, were flagged off by DEO Jammu.
At General Zorawar Singh Auditorium, a special event was organized where DEO Jammu interacted with the first-time voters , urging them to not only vote but also to ask their families and peers to participate actively in the festival of democracy. The event concluded with enthralling cultural performances by the artist of information department and renowned Punjabi Artist Sangram Hanjram who also appealed the voters to vote in large numbers on October, 1st.
The extensive SVEEP campaign utilized a variety of activities to maximize outreach and impact. These included street plays, debates, rangoli, mehandi, kite flying and many more. It was organised with collaborative efforts between government officials and employees, NGOs, and civil society groups, which facilitated a wider reach of the campaign.