Capitalise on wide network for voter awareness: Himachal Chief Electoral Officer

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 6 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maneesh Garg, chaired a meeting of Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation on Saturday, focusing on collaboration done by the Election Commission of India (ECI) with partner departments and corporations.

While addressing the senior officers, he said that the election department has taken many innovative steps under the guidance of ECI to encourage the voters to come out in greater numbers in the state, according to an official release.

He directed the collaborating partner departments to promote voter education programmes and initiatives to make the electoral process more inclusive, informative and participative by optimally utilising their huge infrastructure across the state.

Presentations on various initiatives suggested by ECI were also showcased in the meeting. The CEO emphasised to the Food and Civil Supplies Department and Civil Supplies Corporation on the need for more focused voter awareness programmes to educate prospective voters by installing hoardings and banners at all petrol pumps and all their fair price shops.

Garg asked Indian Oil Corporation to install hoardings at all the 700+ petrol pumps in the state at the earliest and also direct LPG distributors on the usage of danglers on the gas cylinders containing voter awareness messages. The bus stands and railway stations can play SVEEP-themed messages on their public announcement systems along with routine announcements, he added.

He stressed the greater utilisation of this wide network for spreading awareness regarding voting in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Bye-elections in Himachal Pradesh. Additional CEO Dalip Negi also gave valuable inputs during the meeting, added the official statement.

Director Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Ram Kumar Gautam, Additional CEO Neelam Dulta, Senior officers of Food and HP State Civil Supplies Corporation, and Indian Oil Corporation were also present in the meeting, among others.

The elections to the four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh and by-polls to the six assembly constituencies that fell vacant with the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs will be held on June 1.