Choose wisely: 1st-time voters urge Mumbai citizens ahead of BMC polls

College students in Mumbai have started a digital media campaign to create awareness among citizens ahead of the February 21 BMC polls

A bunch of first-time voters are urging the people of Mumbai to vote in the upcoming local body polls. Come February 21, people of Mumbai will vote in the Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation elections and the low voter turnout year after year has disappointed many. Not the ones to sit and crib, a group of students have taken it upon themselves to urge people to go out and vote.

Students from various colleges in Mumbai have come together to run the 'Vote for Mumbai' campaign. Armed with social media, students are also going door-to-door encouraging people to vote. "All it takes is 15 minutes. Every vote counts and it can make a difference. We complain about bad roads, garbage disposal, public transport but none of us wants to vote. We want to encourage people to come out and vote so we can have a better tomorrow," said Lishu, a student volunteer.

Making their social media presence felt on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, the enthusiastic bunch of students are getting people to talk about the BMC polls which in itself is an achievement. The city recorded just about 45 percent voting in the 2012 BMC polls and this time around, 'Vote For Mumbai' campaign wants the rest 5 per cent to exercise their right to choose the right people to run the city.

What started off as an initiative by a group of five students is now gaining momentum with close to 25 students contributing to the campaign. Videos, photos, posters, door-to-door campaigns, public interaction etc, the students are doing everything in their capacity to get people to vote. Highlighting concerns of every Mumbaikar is key to their campaign. The students want to reach out to more first-time voters and youngsters to make a difference for the city they call home.

"We are a bunch of students from different colleges across Mumbai, running a campaign 'VOTE FOR MUMBAI'. This campaign is to encourage p eople of Mumbai to VOTE for the upcoming BMC Elections in high numbers. The fact that only 45% of people voted in last elections led us to run this campaign," said Rushi, one of the students who initiated the campaign.

Their social media pages are attracting more audiences and the students are hopeful that the same will translate into action on February 21 when the city goes to polls. Drawing parallels with Goa's high voter turnout, students are encouraging Mumbaikars to come out and vote and become an example for others.

OneIndia News