The Election Commission of India (ECI) held a conference on low voter turnout on Friday aimed at addressing the issue of low poll participation ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Municipal commissioners and district election officers (DEOs) from select districts across the country, particularly those with a history of low voter turnout, were in attendance to strategise on increasing voter engagement and participation.

The conference was held in the national Capital and chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.

The conference emphasised the need for targeted interventions to encourage voters in “identified urban and rural” parliamentary constituencies (PCs) to exercise their franchise.

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A “turnout implementation plan” was prepared for 266 urban and rural PCs.

CEC Kumar spoke about the importance of creating a movement in which people are self-motivated to participate in the poll process.

He stressed a “three-pronged strategy of providing facilitation at polling stations”, “targeted outreach & communication, and the involvement of critical stakeholders such as Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs)” and influencers. A booklet on voter apathy was also released at the occasion which says, “Urban apathy in poll participation is a major concern”.

The discussions at the conference addressed the voter apathy issue, discussions on streamlining logistical operations and leveraging the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme to increase voter awareness.

The seven-phased Lok Sabha polls begin on April 19 and the counting will take place on June 4.