THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, March 27: The Palamu administration is exploring new ideas for increasing the voting percentage for this Lok Sabha election, which is due on May 13.
The ideas may, at first glance, look bizarre, but they are down to earth. They have one ingredient. Their focus is on people’s participation, the participation of the elders and the first-time voters.
Nodal officer of SVEEP Ravi Kumar, an IAS officer on probation here, said, “We are going to have a Palamu election cricket league match. It is on March 30 and 31. It will be played in the police line ground in the early hours of the night.”
Ravi Kumar further said, “There will be four teams of civil society along with teams of police, media, health, and administration.
He said, “We want our esteemed spectators to be participative. We have a mini-game for them. It is to either hit a six and win the election prize or just demolish the wicket.”
The concept is too good and well-meaning, but there is an inherent problem. Common people refrain from going to the police line after the sunset.
Any game that is played in the police line sees a notional presence of the common people.
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Sources reminded friendly matches that are played on Independence Day in the police line ground draw nil so far as spectators are concerned.
This Palamu election cricket league match may be an instant success if its venue is the Zila School ground, said sources.
Nodal officer Ravi Kumar said, “From March 28 to April 4, we are going to have football and kabaddi matches at the village and block level where polling stations had a record of less than 50 per cent of voting last Lok sabha election.”
The Palamu administration has identified 120 polling stations where last Lok Sabha election voting percentage was below 50.
Here, football and kabbadi matches will be played to motivate and mobilise younger first-time voters to cast votes.
It is opportune to mention here that football and kabbadi are just two games where spectators will spill over.
Ravi Kumar further said, “There is one more promotional material for more polling. It is an inter-school quiz and inter-college quiz and debates. It is most likely to be launched in the very first week of April.”
As Nilamber Pitamber University exams are in full swing, debate and quiz at the inter-college level look a distant proposition now.
The quiz at the inter-school level is set to draw a good crowd as students’ presence on the college campus is indistinct here under the Nilamber Pitamber University.
