Mumbai: In a country where majority of the youth is lackadaisical about state politics and current affairs, a group of young boys and girls from Mumbai did their bit by helping the young voters register for the LS Election.
The initiative – “Mark your presence” (MYP) is the brainchild of 21 years old Chaitanya Prabhu, a law student, the University of Mumbai. Prabhu, who found his peers to be ignorant about elections and politics, observed most did not have a voter’s card. He took the initiative of helping them with registration for voter’s card. As a result, he formed MYP.
Soon, the initiative that began from a personal level gained momentum as they ended up registering 6,000 Mumbaikars for the recently concluded General Election.
MYP not only helped several first timers to register, they organised seminars on electoral proceedings and political awareness in colleges and conducted workshops about voter registration. The members helped with online registration with newsletters and Whatsapp broadcasts. “The youth must understand they vote for the development of the country,” said Chaitanya.
During the election, MYP worked closely with the state’s chief electoral officer, who he considers, being a guiding light.
Now, with the Maharashtra Assembly election to be held later this year, Prabhu and his team, sans any political inclination, have set a target to widen their base.
“This time around, we are looking forward to holding seminars in schools, as they are the future voters and must be aware of the festival of the democracy,” he said.
He stated though getting time slots and student turnout in schools is difficult, he would not give up easily. “The youth doesn’t connect with the politicians, so we are developing creative ways to influence them,” said Mihir Kakade, who looks after the data and analysis of MYP.
For their upcoming campaign, they would arrange podcasts and collaborate with social media influencers to engage the youth and influence them to encourage their parents to exercise their franchise. “The youngsters are glued to their smartphones. We know, if we bring in the right people, we may strike the right notes,” said Shivani Rajput, social media head of the MYP.
