To encourage the new and first-time voters to register their names in the voters list, the district civil administration of West Burdwan has undertaken a unique awareness drive by creating selfie zones in shopping malls and organising cricket matches in villages.

This unique awareness drive is being conducted jointly by the district civil administration and district electoral office is the brainchild of the district magistrate of West Burdwan, S Ponnambalam. Students, attaining 18 years of age are entitled to register their names in the voters list by the Election Commission of India.

This year, the last date for enlisting of new voters names for first time-voters is on 9th December. The first-time voters, attaining 18 years, are mostly students of schools and colleges normally visit the shopping malls and even take selfies. Keeping this in mind the district administration has set up the first selfie zone (point) at the popular and crowded Galaxy Mall in Chitra in Burnpur Road of Asansol. The officers of the district election cell are holding camps in the shopping mall from 2pm to 8pm everyday for enlistment of names of first time voters in the voters list.

The selfie points/ zones are set up near the camp where the young voters are encouraged to take their selfies and also the rules and information of registering their names in the voter list are stated with pictures in flex boards. “The youth visit the shopping malls and take selfies. We have tried to connect them with the polling system of the country through these selfie zones,”said Biswajeet Bhattacharya, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Asansol Sadar sub-division. He said that very soon the second selfie zone and camp will be set up in the busy Asansol railway station.

“Also, we have undertaken another drive through sports. ‘Cholo Kheli Name Tuli’ (lets play and put our names in the list’), with this slogan in every block of the district cricket matches are organised between the SDM-XI and popular local clubs.

Already one such cricket match in the block level has been organized and has generated a lot of interest among the youth and first time voters. The brain behind this idea is from the DM of West Burdwan, S Ponnambalam and till 9 December will continue in different blocks of the district. The Lok Sabha 2024 polls will be the next major elections in the country.