The main aim of the event is to engage first time voters in active conversations and dialogue around elections.
Facebook together with Josh Talks on March 8 organised the Citizens’ Town Hall in Bangalore, Karnataka. The Town Hall is a multi-city initiative to empower India's first-time voters by helping them gain the knowledge they need to actively participate in the upcoming general elections in India.
Jointly organised with Josh Talks, the Citizens Town Hall was inaugurated by Sanjiv Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka. During his interaction with the audience, Kumar addressed queries and concerns on the voting process and digitization among other pertinent topics.
The event sought to engage first-time voters in active conversations and dialogue around elections.
The event also featured a panel discussion on elections with participation from Ananda Thirtha, and activist with the Bangalore Political Action Committee, Sunil Jain, Founder - Astha Foundation and PG Bhat - an activist with SMART Vote.
The Citizens' Townhall has already been conducted in eight states.
Talking of this association, Shivnath Thukral, Public Policy Director, India and South Asia at Facebook said, “Facebook has an incredible potential to be a positive force for democracy around the world. A number of steps are being taken by us to protect the integrity of the upcoming elections in India. We also believe that Facebook has an important part to play in creating an informed community, and help people access information they need to take part in the democratic process. The Citizen’s Town Hall, initiative is being organized to empower youth with the knowledge they need that will drive an effective participation during the upcoming elections.”
