DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad, inaugurated the Voter Park established in collaboration with CSR Trust in the Vikas Sadan Complex of Gurugram. Under this park, activities related to voting and Lok Sabha elections were showcased.

The Chief Secretary praised the initiatives undertaken and mentioned that similar activities will be organized in other districts of the state.

On this occasion, the Chief Secretary along with Gurugram Division Commissioner, Sh. R.C. Bidhan, DC, Sh. Nishant Kumar Yadav and ADC, Sh. Hitesh Kumar Meena were also present.

The Chief Secretary was briefed about the first EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) and VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines installed at the booths in the Voter Park. He cast a vote using the ballot unit and also obtained a slip from the VVPAT machine.

Detailed information about the democratic system of the country and the Gurugram Lok Sabha constituency was displayed in the Voter Park. It was mentioned that the first elections were held between October 1951 and February 1952, with Sukumar Sen as the Chief Election Commissioner, and the voter turnout was 45.7%.

The history of the EVM machine was also explained, stating that it was first used in the Kerala elections in 1982 and later used nationwide for elections in 2004. Visual content regarding the sveep activities conducted in the district was also displayed in the park.

The Chief Secretary, in support of the sveep campaign, released balloons into the air, urging all citizens to vote. He also boosted the morale of the district administration by painting "Sveep Well Done" on the wall.

Brand ambassadors appointed for the Gurugram Lok Sabha elections, including the famous singer MD Desi and Naveen Punia, presented a spirited voting anthem, 'Vote Karo-Vote Karo' composed for Gurugram. Chief Secretary honored two other brand ambassadors, young chess player Tanishka Kotiya and senior citizen Subhash Bishoi, with Sveep caps. He urged the citizens and players present to pledge for maximum voter turnout.

Chief Secretary, Sh. T.V.S.N. Prasad stated that voting is the most crucial responsibility of every citizen in a democratic system. He was addressing local media personnel after inaugurating the Voter Park.

He mentioned that the Gurugram district administration is conducting commendable activities under the Sveep campaign, and he is confident that voter turnout will be even higher this time.

He directed the district administrative officers to ensure all facilities for elderly and differently-abled voters, and to boost the enthusiasm of young first-time voters.
(editor@dailyworld.in)