Gurgaon admin ropes in Vijender Singh, Meghna Malik and other local celebs for voter awareness drive

It’s election season, and political events have already began wooing other people for votes. Amidst many appeals and promises from politicians, Gurgaon residents are also being requested to workout their vote via celebrities. The difference is that those celebs aren't asking votes for any birthday celebration. As a part of the Election Commission of India’s SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) campaign, the Gurgaon district management has roped in celebrities with a Gurgaon connect, like boxer Vijender Singh and actress Meghna Malik, to attraction to the citizens. The celebs are sending video messages, urging other people to workout their proper to vote whilst some can also be becoming a member of the on-ground actions deliberate via the management.

Meghna Malik

Mohammad Imran Raza, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Gurgaon) and the nodal officer for SVEEP in the district, tells us, “We try to reach out to all citizens in the constituency and which is why we felt the want to involve those distinguished personalities and influencers.” The management has been striking out the video messages from some celebs on social media and is planning on-ground actions reminiscent of graffiti art work and the city halls where the stars will interact with the citizens in my opinion.

Body builder Lokesh Rajput

Other celebrities who are part of the SVEEP campaign in Gurgaon are Shivangi Pathak, the youngest Indian to summit Mt Everest, and Lokesh Rajput, who is a bodybuilder. Officials say that also they are seeking to get Haryana cricketers like Yuzvendra Chahal and others involved in the campaign because of their mass attraction, however are unable to work around the ongoing cricket season.

Getting celebs for voter awareness drives in Gurgaon isn’t a new thought. In 2017, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) had roped in actor and Gurgaon boy Rajkummar Rao as the logo ambassador of the civic polls in the district that year. Instead of posting simply movies, the actor had come down to Gurgaon and met citizens. Officials are hoping to replicate the same model this year too, however with other celebrities.

Shivangi Pathak, the youngest Indian to summit Mt Everest, have recorded movies urging other people to vote

It should be noted that Gurgaon has all the time lagged behind in the region in relation to voter turnout. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency registered a turnout of 66.97% against the national average of 72.78%. Even the neighbouring constituencies of Sohna and Pataudi were a long way ahead of Gurgaon with 75.88% and 73.21% voter turnout, respectively. Gurgaon, along side the remainder of Haryana, goes to polls on April 12.