Poll panel banks on kids to get their parents to polling booths

The undertaking, in Marathi, reads: “Me shapath gheto ki me Bhartiya Ghatne ne, mala matdaan karnyacha jo amulya adhikar dila aahe, tya adhikara cha kontya hi paristhitit vapar karin (I hereby take an oath that under the rights granted to me by the Constitution of India, I will exercise my fundamental right to vote under any circumstances).”

B B Chavan, education inspector of Mumbai south region, said that the state Election Commission had set up district committees across the state to spread awareness about the need to vote.

“This initiative is aimed at not only encouraging children to understand the importance of voting, but also to encourage their parents to go out and vote on the election day,” Chavan said, adding there was a government resolution on this.

To increase voter turnout, the state Election Commission has employed various means like online registration of voters, roping in NGOs to go door-to-door and spread awareness on the importance of voting, besides conducting enrolment drives in colleges.

However, parents are not amused by the latest initiative.

“How can someone ask us to sign an undertaking like this? Tomorrow, they will get an undertaking signed by parents asking them to vote for a particular party. I signed the undertaking just because all other parents in my son’s class did,” said Aman Farooqui, a parent.

Another parent Pakhi Garodia, whose daughter studies in a well-known school in south Mumbai, said, “Due to this undertaking, my son asked me about the process of voting and I had to explain it to him in detail on its importance.”

An official from the suburban collector’s office said that based on the voter turnout during this election, it would be possible to gauge the success of this initiative.

Suresh Lad, chairman of Jagrut Palak Sangh, an NGO, said, “It is an excellent initiative and though not compulsory, it will ensure that children make their parents do what the government has failed to achieve.”