More than 5,000 college students from the Sri Krishna Group of Institutions formed a human chain carrying placards here on Thursday with the objective of creating voter awareness among the residents of the city.
District Collector and Election Officer Archana Patnaik, who inaugurated the human chain, told reporters that such efforts were part of a campaign undertaken at the request of Election Commission of India (ECI) to make people from all sections, especially the first time voters, exercise their franchise in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Tamil Nadu goes to the polls on April 24.S. Malarvizhi, Chairperson and Managing Trustee, Sri Krishna Group of Institutions, said that all the students were given placards containing one of the 18 slogans of the ECI. The human chain stretched for over three kilometres across the Cross Cut Road. The students also distributed pamphlets.
This was also an attempt to set a world record for the maximum number of student taking part in a human chain holding placards, she added. S. Raja Mohammed, a First Year B.Com student, who was among those braving the intense summer heat to create awareness on voting, said that his vote would be influenced by policies rather than personalities. A party that promises to increase access to education by taking it to the rural areas would get his vote, he added.
R. Ram Gowtham, another student, said that the next Government at the Centre must focus on increasing employment opportunities.
