Thus, by showing some kind of incentive, the Election Commission of India has tried to attract young voters. In the state of Kerala, after the election bugle has been sounded on the 15th of March, the election schedule has been announced. Now, in the state of Kerala, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force. It has been announced by the Election Commission of India that voters who come to vote for the first time on the 9th of April will be given halwa to eat.
The innovative initiative, which has been taken by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ratan U. Kelkar, has been named “Vote Sweet Kerala”. As per the official directive issued on March 29, the major aim of this campaign is to make this biggest festival of democracy memorable and to encourage the participation of young voters.
As per this directive, some polling stations have been identified in each district of the state for this campaign. At these polling stations, specially designed halwa packets will be provided to young voters who are voting for the first time. The district election officers will be provided with 200 special halwa packets from their respective offices. The officers will identify polling stations in their districts where there are a higher number of young voters.
The Booth Level Officers and volunteers will identify first-time voters through the voter list. As soon as these young voters vote and step out, they will be given this gift. The Commission has clarified that there will be no disruption in the voting process while distributing halwa to voters. More volunteers will be deployed for crowd management.
