Assam: Buddy Voter initiative undertaken to encourage new voters

Guwahati: Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiatives, Kamrup Election District conducted an innovative and exceptional voter awareness programme the ‘Buddy Voter’ initiative in Nagarbera on Monday. The aim was to encourage and facilitate new voters to exercise their right to vote on Election Day, slated for May 7.

District Election Officer Keerthi Jalli conceptualized this Buddy Voter programme under which young voters who participated for the first time in the previous Legislative Assembly Election tied Buddy bands on the hands of first-time voters who are set to cast their votes for the first time in the upcoming Lok Sabha election on May 7.  Usually, the younger brother ties Rakhi to the elder sibling asking for protection, the Buddy band is a promise from the senior to the junior that they shall take care of the new voter.

The programme took place at Bimala Prasad Chaliha College, Nagarbera, under Chamaria LAC and witnessed the participation of around 200 first-time voters, in addition to first-time voters from the last Assembly election, among others.

“Young Adults look up to their seniors for guidance on courses to take, jobs to seek, interviews to face etc. Hence we wanted to capitalise this bond into seniors turning buddy mentors to juniors and familiarising them on poll process and removing any fears, as they themselves will also accompany the juniors, first-time voters participation is guaranteed” stated District Commissioner Keerthi Jalli.

The SVEEP team introduced buddy bands in colourful tags. The buddy band has 7 knots/beads made locally. These 7 nodes stand as a reminder to vote on 7th May to the voter and can pass for a cool fashionable statement as well. The mentors will treat the new voters as buddies, fostering a friendly relationship, guiding them through the voting process, and encouraging them to exercise their voting rights on May 7. They will join the new voters this time and will accompany them to the respective polling station on the day of the election.

Attending the programme, Additional District Commissioner and I/c SDO (Civil), Rangia, Debashish Goswami, urged young voters to cast their votes. He emphasized that democracy could only be successful if stakeholders, especially young voters, participate in the poll process with full zeal and enthusiasm. The programme was also attended by Boko Circle Officer (A) Soma Roy, Inspector of Schools, Kamrup, Tapan Kalita, and District Social Welfare Officer Bhupen Bhattacharyya and several others, stated a press release.

Also Read: Lok Sabha poll: 81,49,091 voters in updated electoral roll to poll in phase III (sentinelassam.com)

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