In Ahmednagar, children write to their parents asking them to vote in Lok Sabha elections

The Ahmednagar and Shirdi Lok Sabha seats, which will vote on May 13, come under the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

There are 36 candidates from the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat and 22 from the Shirdi parliamentary constituency. (Representative/ Express file photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

As part of its initiative to boost voter turnout, the Ahmednagar district administration has asked children to write letters convincing their parents to cast their votes in the Lok Sabha elections.

Ahmednagar District Collector Siddharam Salimath said the campaign, Mazhi Lokshahi, Mazha Falak (My Democracy, My Slate), seeks to remind parents, who would visit schools on May 1 to collect their children’s result cards, of their civic duty to vote.

“We want to increase voter turnout and hence have involved the education department, private schools, and colleges urging them to make parents take an oath that they will vote. Rallies have been held especially in villages and students have written personal letters to their parents,” Salimath told The Indian Express.

The Ahmednagar and Shirdi Lok Sabha seats go to polls on May 13. In Ahmednagar and Shirdi, there are 36.59 lakh registered voters, up from 34.38 lakh since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. According to data, the voter turnout was 64.40 per cent in that year.

Apart from convincing parents to vote, the Ahmednagar district collectorate has announced a slew of other measures to encourage citizens to come out and vote.

A Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation, better known as SVEEP, committee has also been set up to ensure high voter turnout in the Ahmednagar and Shirdi Lok Sabha seats under the Ahmednagar district. A compulsory display of flex boards across 500 petrol pump retail outlets appealing to citizens to vote is also among the decisions taken to boost turnout.

Competitions will be also held to design the perfect flex boards, placards and posters which can be displayed at prominent locations in the cities. As many as 45 winners will be announced, and schools have been encouraged to send in their entries.

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Monday is the last day for candidates to withdraw nomination forms and according to the district collector, 55 candidates have submitted their documents to contest the Lok Sabha election 2024. There are 36 candidates from the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat and 22 from the Shirdi parliamentary constituency.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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