SVEEP initiatives increase Eluru voters’ participation

An impressive outcome of the Systematic Voters Education Electoral Participation (SVEEP) team’s work in the Eluru district is the notable rise in voter participation during the general elections on May 13.

Tutika Srinivasa Viswanadh, the district’s Grama Panchayat officer and SVEEP nodal officer, emphasized the effectiveness of the district’s awareness campaigns, which raised voter turnout.

In the 2019 elections, he claims, the voting percentage in the seven Assembly seats that make up the current Eluru district was 83.75%, higher than the 79.77% state average. But in the elections of 2024, the vote percentage shot up to almost 84.82%, a record for the district.

Comprehensive voter awareness campaigns were conducted across the district for ninety days as part of the Voter Turnout Implementation Plan-2024 (TIP-2024), which was authorized by District Collector V Prasanna Venkatesh. Using a special Control Room, DGPO Srinivasa Viswanadh was designated as the SVEEP Nodal Officer to supervise and track the execution of these initiatives.

Booth Level Association Groups (BAG) were established, Chunav Patashala was promoted at booth levels, Campus Ambassadors were arranged, folk activities like as Kalajatha, literacy camps, and awareness seminars were held in urban areas, among other efforts. A particular focus was on interacting in person with first-time voters and collaborating with women’s self-help groups.

A number of tactics were used to boost voter turnout, including as the installation of model electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter invitation programs such as “Amma Pillusthundi” for voters living in other states and nations, and digital marketing via social media.

The SVEEP team encouraged environmental conservation by greeting voters at voting places on election day in traditional clothing and delivering green plants to each one of them. In the previous ninety days, 2,600 SVEEP programs were held across the area, according to Viswanath.