Civil society organisations that launched the ‘Voters Will Prevail’ campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha elections will continue the initiative in the upcoming Maharashtra state assembly elections. The campaign, which has been working on the ground to rally support for the Indian Union Party, will focus on enrolling voters whose names were missing from the parliamentary polls in the voting rolls.
Following the voting in the Mumbai Lok Sabha elections, seven civil society organisations came together to voice their concerns over the electoral process. The Lok Sabha, Bombay Catholic Lok Sabha, Forum Against Women’s Oppression, Indian Congress, Maharashtra Democratic Forum, People’s Union for Civil Liberties and Vote for Democracy launched the “Voters’ Will Prevail” campaign and set up a “Vigilance Voter Task Force” to ensure accountability and transparency in vote counting.
Attributing the satisfactory performance of the Union of India political party to the vigilant efforts undertaken by civil society organisations, the campaign has decided to launch its activities for the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for October. The civil society organisations met last week to assess, discuss and plan their strategy for the upcoming state assembly elections. The meeting was also attended by Union of India candidate from Mumbai North West, Amol Kirtikar.
The organisation will begin the campaign by ensuring the registration of all voters whose names were omitted during the assembly elections. It will meet regularly and work closely with the Maharashtra Election Commission to organise voter registration camps. The campaign will also hire young volunteers to carry out voter registration with the help of technology.
Teesta Setalvad, a member of Vote Democracy Party, said, “The Indian Union, which was formed in August last year, has performed admirably and the Maha Vikas Aghadi Union, which is even older than the Indian Union, will also perform well in the upcoming state elections. I request you to stay connected with civil society organisations to stay connected with the people of Maharashtra.”
Activist group Vote For Democracy also wrote to Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Indian National Congress Party, urging him to prioritize and focus on unity among opposition parties, strong partnerships with civil society, and review of laws and amendments in Parliament. The letter also called for Vote For Democracy to work closely with the Union of India.
Published: Wednesday, June 19, 2024 02:42 AM IST
