To make the people aware about the importance of choosing their candidate wisely, fifteen youths of capital city took part in the Mera Vote Mera Desh Yatra organised by Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR). Besides the awareness programmes organised under SVEEP, which are aimed to inform and educate people about the importance of voting and to motivate voters, ADR also runs a parallel campaign to strengthen the democracy.
The Yatra is organised in three chapters and in Bhopal chapter, fifteen youths have of the city have participated. These fifteen youths are college going students who believe that it is important to make the people aware about the importance of choosing their candidate wisely. These youths aim to give a better direction to the democracy of India.
“The source of our information related to a candidate’s affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of India. We take the information, analyse it and present to the citizens through the application My Neta which is available on the Google Play Store,” Shivhare said. Rohit Shivhare, Vishal Maithil, Sangam Dubey, Nisha Yadav, Sadaf Khan , Sandeep Yadav, Vicky, Asma Khan, Nitesh Vyas, Subhash Garg, Rahul Malviya, Vishal Yadav and Krishna Yadav have taken part in the Bhopal chapter of the Yatra. The yatra will also cover: Harda, Betul, Raisen, Vidisha, Narsinghpur and Hoshangabad districts.
Election Watch Reporter
The participants during the yatra are also sharing information on option to tackle any type of sabotage. One being that if any candidate is either trying to lure the public or violating the Model Code of Conduct, people can lodge their complaint on the application Election Watch Reporter.
Selfie window to evoke informed decision
The team even has a selfie window to attract the youths. The message written on the selfie window evokes informed choice of the people who come across the yatra. It reads- ‘Main jati/dharm/dal nahin balki pratyashi ki yogyata aur apradhik record dekhkar matdan karungi’ (I will not cast my vote on the basis of caste, religion and party. Instead I will look for the ability and criminal record of the candidate).
Multipronged communication
The youths are trying to make the people aware through several mediums, amongst which the Puppet show catches the most eyeballs. We organise on the spot Nukkad Nataks (street plays) to tell the people about the candidates of their constituency to help them choose the right one. Several poster, banners and placards have been made by the team and the team also runs a sign campaign to make sure that most people cast their vote in the ensuing elections.
‘We focus on candidate’s criminal records’
ADR Roli Shivhare said to Free Press, “It is our endeavor to seek the information related to a particular candidate and then spread it amongst the people of the candidate’s area. We especially focus on the criminal record of the candidate and the works done by the candidate.”
