With the voting date for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland drawing closer, civil society groups have organised an interactive event titled "Voters' Voice: An Interface", to be held here on Tuesday.
The initiative, based on the theme "elections belong to us", led by the Coordination Committee on Participation in Democracy, will attempt to discuss the "Peoples Agenda in Election 2019".
Several issues that impact the development of Nagaland and people, like roads and infrastructure, law and order, education and human trafficking, will be taken up at the event.
"Representatives of the political parties will be asked to share key features of their manifestos and engage in an interaction with members of civil society, education institutes and voters in general, representing various sectors," Bidhayak Das, Executive Director of Social Actions for New Alternatives (SANA) India, told IANS on Monday.
"The platform has been designed to allow voters interact with political parties before the vote. Voters will get an opportunity to make their voices heard and ask candidates or their party representatives questions they have about the election manifestos," he said.
Another SANA-India member, Nayan Jyoti Bhuyan, said: "We believe no election is complete with voting and formation of a government. In fact, election provides us an opportunity to put our democratic rights to test. This is what we aim to achieve and ensure meaningful participation of voters, especially the marginalised groups, in the electoral process.
"With this in mind, we have started to create an alternative space to allow civil society and voters engage with the politicians and discuss issues that impact their lives and society."
The organisers, including SANA-India, Can Youth and Path Finders, have claimed all political parties contesting the Lok Sabha elections 2019 have agreed to take part in the event and share their thoughts in an open, free and upfront discussion with the voters.
--IANS
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