The Election Commission has embarked upon a huge electoral exercise involving all sections of the society in Muzaffarpur and Vaishali parliamentary constituencies to raise awareness on casting votes.

The commission has issued about 6 lakh resolution papers under the systematic voters’ education and electoral participation in Muzaffarpur and Vaishali parliamentary constituencies. Votes in Muzaffarpur would be cast on May 7 and in Vaishali on May 12. The resolution papers aim to educate the people about democracy and increase turnout in booths on the days of the polls.

The district magistrate-cum-district election officer, Anupam Kumar, said he had directed all departments, including agriculture, education, health, public distribution system (PDS), rural development and public relations, to launch a campaign to ensure maximum turnout of voters on the polling days. “The resolution papers are aimed to make the people aware of their votes,” said the district magistrate (DM).

Even students have been provided copies of resolution papers by their schools to make their parents aware of importance of elections and their votes. The students have been directed to return the copies to the school administration duly signed by their parents. “PDS dealers, too, have been asked to inform consumers about the significance of voting when they visit their shops,” said the DM.

He added: “Around 4,40,663 resolution papers have been returned by the students to their respective schools bearing the signatures of their parents.”

Around 36,000 women members of 1,800 self-help groups attached to Jeevika are on a whirlwind tour of villages falling under Muzaffarpur and Vaishali Lok Sabha constituencies to motivate the residents to cast their votes. Hoardings, too, have been put up at public places in urban, semi-urban and rural areas of the district to create awareness among the electorate to cast their votes.

The DM has also identified 110 polling booths in Naxalite zones and inaccessible pockets of Minapur, Kanti, Sahebganj, Baruraj and Paroo Assembly segments that witnessed a low turnout during the last Assembly elections.

Apart from activists, workers, anganwadi sevikas and auxiliary nurse midwives, the public relations department’s culture wings such as Surbhi Kala Manch and Sonepur Kala Kunj have been involved in creating awareness among the rural masses.