Missed out on voting in polls? Election Commission may soon give you a call

For those who were unable to vote in elections, expect a call from the Election Commission soon. The poll body may soon start reaching out to such registered voters with a plea to not let their precious vote go waste and ensure it is counted in the next round of elections.

EC had reached out to the industry, organisations and departments with over 500 employees asking them to appoint nodal officers who can create awareness among non-voting employees.

"After the voting, these nodal officers will try and persuade these non-voting employees. We will try to reach out to them and say 'please try next time'. That is a kind of awareness that we will start," CEC Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference here.

The EC is trying to address the issue of lack of urban empathy towards the polling process. In the 2019 general elections, the least voting 7-8 districts consisted of four metropolitan cities, EC said.

"We are focusing on urban apathy very, very seriously," the CEC said. The chief electoral officers and district officers have been asked to focus on polling booths which saw the lowest polling percentage in each constituency, it added.

District electoral officers will be personally visiting such booths to identify reasons for lower turnout and address the difficulties faced by voters. The EC will also be reaching out to colleges and universities in order to try and increase their participation in the poll process.

Efforts are being made to ensure maximum voter participation from categories like young, urban, women, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PwD) and third gender voters.

(With inputs from PTI)

READ | Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election 2022 dates announced: Voting on November 12, check full poll schedule