SVEEP campaign falls-flat in Border villages

‘First time voters follow elders wish’

PS BALI

Jammu, Dec 14: The tall claims of the election commission has fallen flat in the border villages of the Samba district, wherein maximum voters, probably first timers intended to vote as per the wishes of their elders, thus keeping aside much hyped SVEEP campaign of election commission.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, scores of first time voters in the border villages of Vijaypur constituency of the district Samba expressed ignorance about electoral process and said that they will do as their parents and elders tell them to do.

“We are casting votes for the first time and have no idea about the process,” said 21 year old Sunil Kumar of Chak Balotrian, among first time voters. He added that since no administration has approached border villages to aware the people, especially youth about the electoral process, they have to cast votes as per wishes of their elders. “We are not aware about the SVEEP campaign at the first place,” he said.

First time voters at border village Chamlyal expressed similar views and lamented that the district administration claims to hold awareness programmes in the educational institutes, but here in this border village, no such programme has been launched by the election officials.

Baljeet Kaur, another first timer at Chamlyal said that she is neither excited nor nervous, as she had no knowledge about the process and will do as her mother, who accompanied her up to polling booth, wishes.

However, many first timers in Assembly election(s), who had earlier voted in Lok Sabha elections expressed that they will be voting for ‘employment and other livelihood generating scheme(s)’.

“We are voting for the second time, after Lok Sabha elections early this year. Our prime motive to cast vote is to elect such representative who could secure employment schemes for the border village youth,” said Rahul and added that ‘talk of development is now obsolete’ and every second leader promises about it. “We want employment, besides peace in the region, as this region has been marred with decades of   firing and ceasefire violation,” he said.

He added, “This is crucial election and we need to elect our representatives carefully.”

Pertinently, Election Commission had made high claims of sensitizing voters, especially first timers about the process and importance of voting. They have been claiming that to increase polling percentage in the assembly elections electorate conferences, rallies, interactive sessions, door to door campaigns and signature campaigns have been held to motivate people to exercise their franchise under SVEEP.