Move to pull urban voters to poll booths

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 7

The office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Punjab, has launched an exercise to encourage city voters to come out and cast their vote in the Lok Sabha elections. 

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr S Karuna Raju said he had written to all SDMs to  visit colleges in their areas and urge the youngsters to vote. “Beginning with the  IIT (Ropar) and the Indian School of Business (Mohali), those on the agenda include the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, and all universities in the state.” 

Official figures for the last Vidhan Sabha elections show that urban constituencies, including Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala and Mohali, recorded a turnout lower than the state average of 77.4 per cent.

 Amritsar (North) recorded 67.6 per cent; Amritsar (South) 62 per cent; Amritsar (Central) 66 per cent; Ludhiana (West) 69; Ludhiana (South) 68; Ludhiana (North) 68; Patiala (Urban) 66; and Mohali 67 per cent.