Fulfil duty by voting in large numbers: Madurai collector

Madurai: Madurai district collector and district election officer K J Praveen Kumar on Tuesday urged voters to cast their votes on April 23, while launching a district election mascot, Sabhanayagi, at an awareness painting competition held at Meenakshi Government Women's Arts College.The mascot was launched as part of efforts to raise election awareness. The mascot, designed by rural development agency officials, is meant to symbolise the collective spirit of Tamil Nadu's people."Many of you are young first-time voters, and it is heartening to see your enthusiasm. The main goal of this competition is not to distribute prizes but to enhance your faith in democracy," Kumar said. "Seeing your paintings fills me with joy and confidence that the future of Tamil Nadu and India is in safe hands," he added.One of the paintings by a student depicted that even people with disabilities have voting rights, and another emphasised that both educated and uneducated people can participate in this democratic duty."The Election Commission's aim is that ‘no voter should be left behind'. Please convey this message to your families and fulfil your democratic duty by voting in large numbers. I hope you, like ‘Sabanayaghii,' will go to your nearest polling station and vote on April 23," the collector stated.A hands-on demonstration of the EVM machines was also held to familiarise students with the voting process.The district election officer and collector also led a signature campaign at the collectorate to encourage participants to take a pledge to make informed and ethical voting choices.He chaired a consultative meeting on Tuesday regarding the Model Code of Conduct for various business stakeholders. The meeting outlined strict regulations for printing presses, which must include names and addresses on all election materials and submit expenditure details within three days. Marriage hall owners were instructed to report all events daily and ensure no gifts for voters are distributed on their premises, while banks must monitor transactions exceeding 1 lakh for candidates and 10 lakh for general deposits. Additionally, pawn shop owners and moneylenders were warned that their business licences would be revoked if they facilitated undocumented transactions for political parties.