Haveri DC’s appeal to voters at railway station

Hands out pamphlets on the significance of voting

As part of the initiative to create awareness on the significance of voting, Deputy Commissioner of Haveri M.V. Venkatesh visited the railway station in Haveri on Saturday and appealed to the commuters, particularly physically challenged, to exercise their franchise without fail.

In the initiative launched to ensure at least a minimum of 80% polling in Haveri district, Mr. Venkatesh introduced himself to the commuters. Handing out pamphlets on the significance of voting, he clarified that he was not seeking votes on anybody’s behalf but requesting the voters to exercise their franchise without any fear.

Special queue

Making a special request to the physically challenged persons, Mr. Venkatesh told them that there would be separate queue for them in all the polling stations and also provision for three-wheelers to bring them there on May 12.

Subsequently Mr. Venkatesh boarded the special coach for the physically challenged persons of the Dadar-Yashwanthpur Chalukya Express and distributed pamphlets with an appeal to vote on the polling day.

He then interacted with the daily wagers and headload workers and informed them about how to get polling chits. He also administered them an oath on mandatory voting.

District Welfare Officer for Senior Citizens and Physically Challenged Mallikarjun Mathad said that there 14,582 physically challenged voters in Haveri district. There were 2,973 physically challenged voters in Haveri taluk followed by Shiggaon (2634), Ranebennur (2,543), Hanagal (2,234), Byadgi (1,623), Savanur (1,443) and Hirekerur (1,132). All measures were being taken to ensure that these voters did not face any problem in casting their votes, he said. Haveri Tahsildar Naveen and others also took part in the awareness programme.