Rajasthan polls: Awareness drive may enter record book

When all district collectors in the state were taking various steps to encourage citizens to vote in the elections, a lone district collector not only reached out to more than one lakh people but may have managed to create a record of sorts.

The record he made was: A thirty-kilometre-long sheet with signatures and suggestions by individuals that encourages people to vote.

The signature campaign was started as a part of SVEEP plan in Dholpur district of the state by the collector, Kumar Pal Gautam. “As a part of the plan, we started the campaign on October 20. We realised that for the awareness of the people and increasing voters’ turnout, we had to reach out to more and more people and thus it was decided that signature campaign will be started at public places,” said Gautam.

The collector further added, “Slogans, suggestions, signatures; basically all that can make a voter aware of exercising their right was written on the sheets by citizens.”

And the campaign also had the desired effect. The campaign was held at bus stands, railway stations, schools and other institutions of public interest which reached nearly 1.25 lakh lives, he added.

“Schoolchildren, general public, youth, police officials, advocates and representatives from all sections of the society took part in the campaign. As on November 28, we managed to get an incredible number of signatures and suggestions on sheets that would cover 30 km in length, which we believe is a national record. Since the campaign will continue till late on Saturday night, we are expecting that the length will swell,” said Gautam.

Interestingly, the huge turnout and success of the campaign has encouraged not just the voters but the collector as well. “We also might just reach the world record and we will contact the concerned authorities but that will happen only after elections are over,” Gautam said.