Win phones, bikes: How this Telangana district is promoting voting
What's the story
In a bid to encourage more people to vote, the Siddipet district administration in Telangana has resorted to a novel way of incentivization. With polling day approaching fast, the district administration has announced a lucky draw for voters - voters can vote for anyone, and will stand the chance to win bikes, scooters, mobile phones, and more. Here are the details.
Lucky draw
How the lucky draw system works
Under the initiative, voters turning out to vote in the Siddipet district will be handed tokens for a lucky draw when they vote. Reportedly, lucky draws will be held separately for men and women, wherein men will stand a chance to win a bike, while women will stand a chance to win a scooter. Five lucky winners from each constituency will also get mobile phones.
Other efforts
NGOs, individuals working on voter turnouts have been promised rewards
Further, Siddipet district collector Krishna Bhasker has also announced incentives for people who work to ensure greater voter turnout. Bhasker recently promised that NGOs and individuals who work tirelessly to bring people to polling booths would be felicitated at the district headquarters during next year's Republic Day celebrations. The efforts by the district administration underline the district's importance for the upcoming polls.
Significance
Why the Siddipet district is of prime importance
With the upcoming polls of December 7, the Siddipet district is under the spotlight. Not only will incumbent Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao contest from the Gajwel constituency in the district, KCR's nephew K Harish Rao will also be contesting from the district. Notably, the district has been a stronghold for K Harish Rao, who was the state's former irrigation minister.
Data
The Telangana Assembly elections in a snapshot
The Telangana Assembly elections will see 1,824 candidates fight for power. According to Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar, the state has 2.8 crore voters, among whom 7.46 lakh people are new voters. Vote counting will take place on December 11.