Kids to form 30-km human chain to improve voter turnout in Lucknow

Students of government and private schools will join hands to encourage voters to exercise their franchise by forming a 30-km human chain on the streets of Lucknow ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

The office of the district inspector of schools (DIoS) in Lucknow has prepared an elaborate plan as the human chain will require thousands of students.

“The human chain will cover Shaheed Path, Chinhat, Polytechnic crossing, Munshi Pulia, Madiyaon, Puraniya Crossing, Khadra, Bada Imambada, Chowk, Thakurganj, Balaganj, Alamnagar, Buddheshwar, Kanpur Bypass, Krishna Nagar and Amausi,” said DIoS Mukesh Kumar Singh.

He said the campaign was proposed for April 9 but it could be shifted depending on the date when Lucknow would go to polls.

He said besides students of primary, junior high school and secondary schools, cadets from NCC, NSS, Civil Defence and Scout guide would also participate in the campaign.

“We are embarking on an ambitious task to strengthen the country’s democracy. It will be an educational gesture from kids to their parents and every adult to understand importance of their vote,” he said.

“We want the voter turnout of Lucknow to increase. The polling day is not a holiday and it is the duty of every citizen to vote,” he said. The turnout for parliamentary election in Lucknow has never crossed 60 per cent. In 2014, the voter turnout was 53.06 per cent while in 2009, it was even poorer at 35.08 per cent.

First Published: Mar 05, 2019 13:11 IST