Forum requests EC for efforts to improve voting turnout

Appreciating the efforts made by the Commission so far to improve the poll percentage, the Forum pointed out that while polling in Telangana was scheduled for May 13, the preceding two days, May 11 and 12, were holidays.

Hyderabad: The Forum for Good Governance has requested efforts from the Election Commission for more efforts to improve the polling percentage in urban areas, especially in Hyderabad and Secunderabad constituencies, where the polling has usually been as low as around 50 per cent.

Appreciating the efforts made by the Commission so far to improve the poll percentage, the Forum pointed out that while polling in Telangana was scheduled for May 13, the preceding two days, May 11 and 12, were holidays.

---

“Employees, especially those working in the IT sector may club these three days holidays and go for outing. May 13 is given a paid holiday just to facilitate the employee to exercise his or her franchise.

The paid holiday on May 13 is for specific purpose or conditional holiday i.e. if the employee goes to vote, he or she should get the holiday, but if they abstain from voting, it should be treated as absence from work,” Forum president M Padmanabha Reddy said in a letter to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj here on Thursday.

For this message to percolate, he said all managements should issue a circular that when employees come to work on May 14, they should show the ink mark on the finger as proof of voting, failing which the paid holiday would be converted into absence from duty resulting in loss of pay.

The Forum also suggested the Commission to appeal to petrol bunk owners to reduce Re.1 on each litre of petrol or diesel on showing the mark of voting. This incentive may be limited to May 14 and 15, Padmanabha Reddy said, also suggesting that managements of malls, eateries, cinema halls, wine shops etc. should be requested to give some incentive to people on the final bill after showing the proof of voting on May 14 and 15.