Govt seeks help of housing societies to improve voting

Mumbai: The state government is relying on office-bearers of housing societies to spread voter awareness and improve polling percentage in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

The government, through its cooperatives department and collectorates, has reminded housing societies about its seven-year-old directive to make their presidents and secretaries ‘booth-level volunteers’ to ensure 100 per cent voting on their premises.

The department had issued a directive in 2012 to office-bearers of housing societies asking them to make audit of their respective society mandatory and furnish a list of shifted, dead and new voters before July 31 every year.

“This directive is still very much relevant and we are reminding the office-bearers of housing societies to ensure 100 per cent voting in coming elections,” an official told PTI on Tuesday.

However, Dharmin Sampat, honorary secretary, Co-operative Societies Residents, Users and Welfare Association, is not impressed with the government’s move, saying it is simply passing the buck. “Authorities are trying to shift the responsibility to the office-bearers who render their services with zero pay. The government should devise another mechanism to ensure 100 per cent voting,” Mr Sampat said.

D.S. Vader, honorary secretary, Mumbai District Co-op Housing Society Federation Ltd, said they have been approached by state government and election officials to ensure 100 per cent voting on their premises. The federation is the government-approved apex body of housing societies in state.

Mr Vader said, “The department has approached us to raise the percentage of voting. We are going to publish a sankalp patra (document of resolution) which we have prepared in association with the election department.”

“The document will be pasted in front of every housing society building in Mumbai and other parts of the state. With this sankalp patra, all members of the society will take oath to cast their votes,” he said.

Social activist Mayank Gandhi has launched a campaign, ‘Ungli Dikha’, urging voting to exercise their franchise. “For this, we are holding 1,000 street plays in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane,” said Mr Gandhi.