CEO EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER LOWER TURNOUT IN URBAN AREAS

Panaji

January 23, 2024.

There is a notable disparity in voter participation between urban and rural areas, with a lower turnout observed in urban areas said Shri Ramesh Verma IAS, Chief Electoral Officer .He was speaking at a Inter-Collegiate Street Play competition on the Theme: “Urban Apathy Among Youth Towards Elections organized by the Office of Chief Electoral Officer Goa in collaboration with Directorate of Higher Education & Government College of Arts, Science & Commerce ,Sanquelim at Azad Maidan,Panaji today.

He further emphasized that the recent election data clearly illustrates a distinct trend. It shows that individuals in rural areas consistently turn out to cast their votes, while there is a concerning low response from the urban populace, including areas like Panjim, Margao, Taleigoa, Fatorda. This observation is particularly perplexing given that urban residents are generally more educated and have access to information through mediums like newspapers and television channels. Despite their awareness, there persists a notable reluctance among urban dwellers to actively engage in the voting process .This prompted the selection of the theme Urban Apathy among Youth towards Elections, he added.

He encouraged those participants who haven’t registered in the voter list to complete their enrollment online through the official website. Additionally, he shared that there are a total of 11, 66,939 voters in Goa.

Also present on the occasion Shri Triveni Velip, Joint CEO, Smt Sneha Gitte, IAS, North Goa Collector, Prof. Dr Grevasio SFL Mendes, Principal Government College Sanquelim, Additional Director DHE and Nodal Officer SVEEP North Goa.

The street play competition saw participation from approximately 15 colleges. The judging panel comprised Smt Sneha Naik, a journalist and writer, Shri Cezar D’mello, former member Secretary of Tiatr Academy of Goa, and Shri Vaibhav Kalangutkar, Managing Partner of Event Basket and a well-known street play artist.

Nirmala Institute of Education in Panaji secured the first prize, the second prize went to VVM’s Govind Ramnath Kare College of Law, and the third prize was bagged by Government College of Arts, Science, and Commerce (GCASCS) in Sanquelim. PES’s Ravi S Naik College of Arts & Science won the first consolation prize, while the second consolation prize was secured by Goa College of Music, Altinho.

DI/INF/NB/AXP/AS/2024/2245