Pune: Cooperative Housing Societies Urged to Organize Special Meetings for Voter Awareness
Pune, November 16, 2024: To increase voter participation in the upcoming Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Elections 2024, Sanjay Raut, District Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies for Pune City, has instructed all cooperative housing societies to hold special general meetings for voter awareness before November 17, 2024.
These meetings should address various ways to encourage voter participation. The Election Officer’s office in the city is distributing voter identification slips to all housing societies, and it is crucial that these slips are delivered to every member. Society officials are responsible for ensuring this distribution. If any slips have not yet been received by members, society officials should collaborate with booth-level officers (BLOs) to ensure smooth distribution.
To support voter awareness, cooperative department staff, certified auditors, and BLOs must work together to ensure the efficient distribution of voter slips. Society officials should also ensure that members inform BLOs about deceased or relocated voters.
In addition, all sub-registrars and cooperative societies in the city should involve their officers, staff, and auditors from the certified list in these efforts. A staff member should be designated as the nodal officer to coordinate with election officials in each constituency.
Cooperative housing societies should compile a list of eligible voters and encourage them to vote using WhatsApp, email, or other communication channels. Awareness posters with the voting date should be prominently displayed in the society, such as on notice boards.
Technologically skilled members should assist others in obtaining online voter ID cards and finding their names in the voter list. On election day, societies should monitor members who voted in the morning. At 1 PM, a review should be conducted, and society officials should personally contact members who have not yet voted, encouraging them to do so. If possible, transport should be arranged to help elderly and specially-abled members reach polling stations.
Mr. Raut. appealed that housing societies should congratulate members who voted by presenting them with flowers. After voting hours, societies should hold a special ceremony to honour and congratulate first-time voters. Society officials should take proactive steps to encourage active participation and boost voter turnout through effective awareness initiatives.
