The Hindu : Naidu tells people to achieve 100 per cent polling

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 26, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Naidu tells people to achieve 100 per cent polling

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MARCH 25. The TDP president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, has found a new equation between polio and polls. He said just as the State had achieved the record of a polio free State, it should also excel with 100 per cent polling.

Launching the `Mana votu, mana bhavishyath' (our vote, our future) programme of contacting voters over telephone from the TDP office here, Mr. Naidu stressed the right to exercise franchise to enhance accountability of elected representatives. If the polling percentage were high, the responsibility on the representatives to address the problems of voters would be more. Otherwise, they could always identify some sections of not voting for them in which case they would not work for them.

Mr. Naidu called for franchise to be treated as a primary right and responsibility of every citizen. People should be so sensitised that they felt insulted at the thought of not exercising the right.

The Chief Minister interacted with a few voters over telephone, which was telecast live by some TV channels, seeking suggestions to improve polling percentage. The TDP had created a database of 31.71 lakh telephone subscribers based on BSNL telephone directory to contact voters. Mr. Naidu would interact with 294 subscribers in as many Assembly segments daily till polls.

Later, talking to newsmen, he said the programme was taken up to create awareness on the importance of voting. This was something the Election Commission or NGOs ought to have done. But by shouldering the responsibility, the TDP, as a political party, had started a new tradition. Some youth pointed out during the interaction that they did not vote out of frustration at not getting employment. Reacting to this, Mr. Naidu said the problem was peculiar to India as the population of youth in the country was high and there were no proportionate employment opportunities.

The polling was hit because of complacence on account of various problems.

Mr. Naidu called for electoral reforms to improve the percentage of polling.

A debate should be initiated in this regard.

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Andhra Pradesh