On the McD menu: A message to the youth to cast vote

“We have decided to involve McDonald’s as it is popular among the youngsters and many people visit its outlets,” said Bedi.

McDonald’s has already entered into an agreement with the electoral office. The authorities are now looking for an agency to prepare the ad campaign.

“We hope the campaign connects with the young voters and brings them out to vote on May 7,” said Bedi.

The fast-food chain is excited at the offer. “We consider it our social responsibility to encourage people to participate in the democratic process,” said Vikram Bakshi,managing director,McDonald’s India (North and East Region).

According to data available with the Election Commission,around 40 lakh electors in the Capital are between 18 and 29 years old. About 39 per cent of the voters registered for the Lok Sabha elections (1,10,60,000) fall in the “young age” bracket. “The number of applicants in this (young) age bracket is very low,” Bedi said.

Alarmed at the lack of interest and awareness among the youth towards voting,the electoral office recently set up a call centre for all poll-related queries.

In a similar attempt last month,the Delhi Electoral Office had launched a drive in universities and colleges to encourage young people to enlist themselves for the electoral rolls. Innovative methods like street plays and skits were organised to draw the youths to polling booths.

During the Assembly elections last year,the election office had run an extensive ‘Pappu campaign’,in which songs from Hindi films were used to encourage the youth to cast votes. The campaign apparently clicked,as the elections registered nearly 30 lakh first-time voters.