THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, February 25: An impressive Vote-A-Thon (read Walkathon) was taken out in Daltonganj to create awareness about the importance of vote and why every eligible voter should exercise their right to vote.
The Vote A Thon was conducted under the SVEEP programme. There was no visible representation of the health services officials and personnel. A similar conspicuous absence was of the officials and personnel of the NP university here.
A PRD note circulating since yesterday read about justices of the High Court and judges of the courts here participating in this Vote A Thon today, but there were none of them around.
It was a cloudy morning today; nevertheless, there was enough excitement among the boys and girls who participated.
The MBBS students wore their white coats as a mark of identity while the Lions Club members were in another distinctive robe. Media persons were just in stale outfits.
Also Read- Workshop on “SOP of New Compassionate Employment, Monetary Compensation by CIL & Employment Application Tracking System” organized at CCL
The latest slogan is now Chunao K Parv, Desh K Garv. This slogan is bilingual and rhymes too.
The Vote A Thon looked like any festive walk down the street starting from Block A in the collectorate where the DC Palamu, only to culminate at the police line Daltonganj. It looked around a 2 km walk for voting.
There is a consistent apathy of the urban first time voters and regulars towards voting. Daltonganj assembly constituency always sees poor turn out to voting compared to its rural polling percentage.
This Vote A Thon aims at shedding off the ennui to voting by first-time voters and regulars in urban areas.
Youngsters were too happy to find DC Shashi Ranjan and SP Reeshma Ramesan amongst them.
This The Jharkhand Story correspondent spoke to a motley crowd of first-time voters to know how they feel about it.
9 out of 10 said they liked it most, but when asked whether they would vote, they said, “What for? We find our mummy and papa cheated by those who won the election. There is no economic upliftment for us. Again, the same lot will come.”
6 out of 10 just showed ignorance about what poll manifesto is all. Many of them thought it to be a fraudulent paper of promise.
Vote A Thon has to be organised in the sub-urban areas too. In Palamu, slum dwellers cast votes more than the sophisticated ones.
On average, 300 to 400 votes go uncast on the day of polling here in Palamu as the eligibles remain at the nursing homes or in different hospitals.
The nursing homes and all private hospitals under the Clinical Establishment Act should be asked to help promote voting percentage as it can play a significant role. End
