Guwahati, March 8: The Election Commission has got on board actor Adil Hussain and violinist Sunita Khaund Bhuyan as "state icons" for the Assembly elections in Assam.
The polls will be held in two phases, on April 4 and 11.
Chief electoral officer, Assam, Vijayendra told The Telegraph that the two leading performers from Assam have been chosen as the state icons and their "voice and visuals" will be used to enhance voter participation.
"We will use their services and appeal to raise awareness whenever we need to reach out to the voters," Vijayendra - overseeing his second big elections after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls - said.
Hussain, who is from Goalpara, and Bhuyan, from Guwahati, confirmed the development to The Telegraph.
Roping in icons is a part of the commission's systematic voters' education and electoral participation, which uses the mass appeal of celebrities to motivate voters to participate in the election process. "They have been immensely effective in creating awareness and encouraging voters to participate along with our programmes," a CEO source here said.
The state icons are appointed after approval from the Election Commission while the district icons are screened and approved by the chief electoral officer.
Hussain, who is shooting for a film based on father-son relationships in Varanasi, said the Election Commission got in touch with him a month-and-a-half back and had recorded his bytes to be used in run-up to the polls.
"My only message to the voters is 'please go and vote as it is your democratic right' and 'vote for an honest person'," Hussain, who has acted in memorable films like Life of Pi and Lootera, said.
However, he won't be there for the polls as he is preoccupied.
Bhuyan, on the other hand, said she has already participated in a programme of the commission in Guwahati where she did a musical demo.
She said from Mumbai, where she is currently based, "Voting is our democratic right and we must vote to earn our valuable citizenship by choosing our leaders. And being the granddaughter of the first election officer in Assam of independent India, Rabindra Ram Khaund, I am very proud to accept this role."
Assam's voter turnout has been steadily rising since 2009 Lok Sabha polls when it was 69.7 per cent. It rose to 76.05 per cent in the 2011 Assembly polls and then to its highest-ever of 80.08 per cent in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which saw the BJP win a record seven of the 14 seats.
In 2011, Jatin Bora, popular actor of Assamese movies and an integral part of mobile theatre in the state, was the brand ambassador for the polls.
The total electorate of Assam is 1,98,66,496, up from 1,81,45,914 in 2011.