J-K govt launches ad blitz urging people to vote

The battle to conduct elections in Jammu and Kashmir is now being fought on a different terrain – in the pages of local newspapers in the state. To counter the separatist poll boycott call, the state government has launched an ad campaign in the local newspapers to persuade people to vote.

For nearly a week now, the Government has been listing reasons why people should vote. “Don’t you want your problems to be addressed?” one ad asks. “Elect a candidate in the elections who will become your voice,” the ad exhorts voters.Another front page ad reads “A golden opportunity has come for you to change your destiny.”

The government has tried to ensure that the ads don’t take on the tone of a counter-boycott campaign and anger the already agitated populace. The ads spell out that “vote is a democratic right” and “choose the right candidate”.

Nevertheless, one ad published on November 1 stated: “It is time for constructive thinking and not destructive.”