‘Khan folk artistes to help boost voter turnout’

BALURGHAT: In South Dinajpur district, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the information of low votes in some booths has already come to light. This time the district administration has taken up an initiative to increase the voting rate through Khan Palagan (local folk dance and drama involving the Khan artistes of Kushmandi Block).

According to an official source, the work of raising awareness among the voters started through Khan Palagan with the artists of the Lok Prasar branch in at least 40 booths of the district under Balurghat Lok Sabha (LS) constituency. The administration has identified that 57 booths of the district had voted less than the prescribed level in the 2019 LS polls. The officials said that special programmes have been taken up in those booths. As part of it, the work of creating awareness has started with Khan Palagan. 20 Khan artistes have started singing in different booths.

Bijin Krishna, District Magistrate and District Election Officer (South Dinajpur) said: “On the advice of the Election Commission of India, we want to increase the voting rate in those booths under Balurghat LS seat where the voting turnout was recorded low in the 2019 poll. This is part of it.” According to Krishna, artists are campaigning in booths that are lagging behind in terms of voting in eight blocks of the district. It is reported that various issues related to the voting process, Election Commission’s various apps, disabled voters are being promoted through Khan Palagan. In South Dinajpur, the voter turnout in the last LS elections was 83 per cent. As per the data of the District Election Commission (DEC), out of the six Assembly constituencies of the district, the voting rate was low in five Assembly constituencies, including Kushmandi, Kumarganj, Balurghat, Gangarampur and Harirampur.

A total of 57 booths have been identified in these five Assembly constituencies. Among them, 13 booths belong to Kushmandi, eight each booths in Kumarganj and Balurghat, five booths in Gangarampur and 23 booths in Harirampur. After visiting all those booths, the picture that emerges of low turnout is that most of the men in those areas go outside to work. Among them, two booths in Kushmandi had polled below 70 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. One booth in Balurghat saw only 25.71 per cent voter turnout and another less than 70 per cent voter turnout. The voter turnout in eight booths of Harirampur was less than 70 per cent. The District Election Office has emphasised that the polling rate should increase in the 2024 LS elections in those Assembly constituencies which polled less than 70 per cent in the

2019 LS elections.