Shadow Correspondent
Kathua, SEPT 04:
To promote voter awareness and participation, a series of activities were organized under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program across various assembly segments of Kathua district. These initiatives, guided by the Election Commission of India’s flagship SVEEP program, aimed to engage voters, particularly first-time voters, in the electoral process ahead of the upcoming elections on October 1, 2024.
One of the key events was a cultural program conducted by the Electoral Literacy Club of GHSS Sananghat, 65-Basohli, under the supervision of District Election Officer (DEO) Kathua, Dr. Rakesh Minhas. The event featured interaction with people in Dogri language which saw enthusiastic participation from students, faculty members, BLO Supervisors, Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, Sarpanchs, ward members, Lambardars, Chowkidars, prominent citizens, and BLOs from nearby polling booths. Alongside the cultural program, a slogan writing competition and debate were also organized, involving students from classes 11th and 12th.
The objective of these activities was to inspire young voters, especially those voting for the first time, to exercise their right to vote and contribute to forming a healthy government. The participants were urged to embrace the idea of “No Voter to be Left Behind” and ensure maximum voter turnout on October 1, 2024. The event featured interactions with Dr. Roshan Lal, Nodal Officer SVEEP 65-Basohli and Ashwani Kumar, Member SVEEP Cell 65-Basohli, who encouraged the audience to leverage social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat to promote SVEEP activities and ensure every eligible voter participates in this democratic process.
The program concluded with a joint pledge-taking ceremony, where all attendees committed to vote fearlessly and without bias. Principal of GHSS Sananghat Suman Lata, presented a vote of thanks and distributed notebooks to participating students as a token of appreciation. The event was guided by Returning Officer (RO) 65-Basohli, Anil Kumar Thakur.
In AC 68 Hiranagar, SVEEP activities took the form of mobile awareness campaigns like “SVEEP on Wheels” and door-to-door voter engagement initiatives at Mela Panchayat. The BAG team visited 50 households, motivating voters to cast their votes on October 1, 2024. A discussion session with women voters emphasized their role as empowered voters. Students from GHSS Hiranagar, Sallan, Kore Punnu, and GHS Mela performed various activities under SVEEP, including a “Tree of Commitment to Democracy,” a signature campaign, slogan writing, nukkad nataks and an awareness rally, all centered around the message that every vote contributes to the nation’s progress.
The proceedings were held under the supervision of Nodal Officer-68 Hiranagar Priya Lakshmi (CDPO Hiranagar).
At GLDM GDC Hiranagar, a Slogan Writing Competition and Poster Making Competition were held on the theme “Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure,” with enthusiastic participation from a large number of students.
In CHC Billawar, a detailed lecture on SVEEP was delivered by Mohinder Gupta, Nodal Officer SVEEP Block Billawar and Principal of Hr. Sec. School Kohag.
A mega cultural program was also organized at Nagri Parole in the Kathua SC-67 constituency, led by Nodal Officer SVEEP, Jatinder Sethi.
Highlights included a song promoting the importance of voting, composed and performed by Jatin Kumar, and a classical dance performance by Pooja, both of which emphasized the significance of voting in a democratic nation. Sethi commended Kavita Mahajan and her team for their exceptional efforts in organizing such a meaningful event to raise voter awareness.
