A coalition of 30 Non Government Organisations have come together in Telangana to keep an eye on the ongoing election process in the State.
“We are having free elections, but are they fair? What’s the impact of distribution of liquor, money and the usage of caste factor? We want to ensure that these elections are really free and fair,” said M. Padmanabha Reddy of Forum for Good Governance during the launch of the coalition.
The coalition called Telangana Election Watch plans to deploy 1,500 non-political volunteers to create awareness among voters about importance of voting, influence of peddling and need to elect good candidates. “Our goal is also to increase voting percentage. Hyderabad records the lowest voting percentage and the upscale areas of Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills record even lower voting. We will do door-to-door campaigning to change those numbers,” said Mr. Reddy.
“Our message about voting and not getting influenced by money or liquor is easily understood by women. Once a woman gets the message, everyone in the family and community gets the message,” said Rosie, who works for NGO on the city’s outskirts.
