In a bid to ensure that every citizen gets to exercise their fundamental right to vote, the Election Commission in Thane is including college students as volunteers and campus ambassadors. They will also be included in the awareness programmes that will be initiated once the election dates are announced. They will also keep an eye out for any code of conduct violations on social media sites.
"Including students in the awareness programmes or while enrolling will help spread the word among fellow classmates. We have written to the Principals of colleges within Thane district and asked them to co operate, colleges have details of birth dates of every students which helps in providing their age. They can easily check if every child turned 18 have enrolled in the electoral process. We also conducted various camps in colleges for enrollment," says P Velarasu, Collector, Thane district.
"In the month of July, we had organised a meet in Kalyan of all the members of the National Service Scheme (NSS), we conducted sessions to be Master trainers through which they now know the students who have turned 18 in the college. They have been assigned to check if these students have filled all the forms and registered for the election card. There are campus ambassadors as well, the trainers will give the final report to these ambassadors who will also head the various awareness programmes that will ensure that every first time voter casts their vote," says Madhavi Sardeshmukh, District Deputy Electoral Officer.
The collectorate is also looking for some more volunteers who are part of the NSS camps in colleges. Students who have already crossed 18 but still do not have an electoral card will also be asked to register and thus through this move, the election commission in Thane will confirm that most of the youngsters have their names on the electoral list this Assembly elections.
Dhruvi Mahadeo from Saket college, Kalyan is the campus ambassador, "We have already started our work and have made a list of students who have turned 18 and given them the enrollment forms, most of them have submitted it with relevant papers but we will be checking with the rest as well. We are glad that we have an opportunity to be a part of this task. Conducting elections in such a hugely populated country is not easy and I can always say that I have a role in it by ensuring that my fellow classmates have registered."
Meanwhile the authorities ensure that the Thane- Palghar divide will not affect the election process, "The Thane-Palghar divide will not affect the election process in any way as that region was considered as a separate constituency earlier as well. But now will be a different district, which will not result to much changes in the electoral process," says Sardeshmukh.
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