A.P. Reetha had never missed an opportunity to exercise her franchise.
On Tuesday, the 99-year-old got a chance to exhort others to vote in the forthcoming Assembly election as the eldest voter in Ernakulam Assembly constituency. Ms. Reetha was elated when District Collector M.G. Rajamanickam welcomed her to inaugurate Vottu Vandy, a mobile election awareness campaign, at Menaka Junction in the morning.
An inmate of the Kacherippady House of Providence, she was accompanied by 94-year-old Prestheena Ocha, 88-year-old Yohannan, and 86-year-old Thresiamma, who all joined hands to tell the citizens not to waste the golden opportunity to cast their votes. “Never miss the chance to vote,” Ms. Reetha said. The Vottu Vandy, an initiative by the district election department, will persuade voters who are still undecided about whether to exercise their franchise in the forthcoming election. The vehicle will visit various areas in Ernakulam constituency, including High Court Junction, Pachalam Junction, Vaduthala Junction, Cheranalloor Junction, Elamakkara, Palarivattom, Kaloor, and DH Ground. It will also visit all 14 Assembly constituencies in the district.
It will propagate the message on the need to vote among all sections of the society. A street play will also be part of the vehicle to drive home the message. The aim is to achieve a voter turnout of 80 per cent or more in the district in this election. The vehicle will give voters an opportunity to get familiarised with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) to be used in the election. Training on how to cast votes will also be part of the campaign.
Apart from the dedicated vehicle, the district election department is also planning a large-scale poster and sticker campaign to encourage voting.
