Anticipating a dip in voter turnout due to scorching heat, the collectors of Valsad and Ahmedabad, who are also the district election officers, are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a high voting percentage on May 7 when Gujarat goes to polls. The officials have roped in owners of various industries, associations, shopkeepers, hotels and restaurants, requesting their participation in an awareness drive to ensure a higher voter turnout. In Ahmedabad, Collector Praveena D. K. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various companies such as Arvind Mills, Zedex Clothing, Zydus Life Science, Nestle and Suzuki Limited so that the workers can exercise their voting right. During a meeting with owners of 690 industries in Vapi and Umargam, district election officials instructed them to give workers a paid holiday on May 7. The officials also requested the industrial units to make arrangements for buses if there are more than 50 voters for pick-up and drop to the polling stations. The officials also roped in school students to write a postcard addressed to their parents on the significance of voting. “The purpose is to create awareness among the people. We have entered into an MoU with the postal department. Till date more than three lakh postcards have been written by the students to their parents informing them on their right to vote," Valsad Collector and district election officer Ayush Oak said. Further, on the appeal of election officials, over 92 shopkeepers, grocery shops, hotels and restaurants, and malls, have offered discounts in the range of 10 to 15 per cent to customers who show the blue ink on their index finger. “In the past elections, there was a higher voter turnout in rural tribal areas but fewer people turned out in the urban and industrial areas. We have also made facilities such as tents outside the polling stations, even though fans have been installed. Water stations and medical teams have also been deployed at polling stations," Oak said. Valsad, which recorded a polling percentage of 75.48 in 2019, saw the number drop to 64.51 per cent in the Assembly election in 2022. There are more than 18 lakh registered voters in the Valsad Lok Sabha seat.
