‘Mera vote, mera desh’ campaign from April 15

To urge people to elect clean and capable candidates and to eliminate the misuse of money, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO, would launch a voter awareness drive from the state capital on April 15.

Titled ‘mera vote, mera desh’, the statewide campaign would be kicked off by chief electoral officer, Umesh Sinha on Tuesday from the election commission office in Janpath Market, according to Sanjay Singh, convenor of the UP Election Watch, one of the many affiliates of ADR.

“Our video van has reached Kanpur, where it was flagged off by the district magistrate but we would like to formally launch the campaign from Lucknow and then move on to other constituencies,” he said.

“We would be telling people stuff like what is paid news and focusing on constituencies that are sensitive and crucial from law and order point of view as well as the credentials of the candidates, who are in fray.

That way we found Kanpur pretty sensitive. Varanasi, is also on the card. We are also getting calls from our associations in other cities like Jhansi, Etawah, Kannauj, Oraiya and Chitrakoot,” he said. While cinestar Aamir Khan has already lend support to the campaign and shot some videos, the organisation would also be using its local brand ambassador and popular folk singer Malini Awasthi’s song during the drive.

Founded in 1999 by a group comprising eminent jurists, academicians and professionals drawn from various field the ADR, a non-political organisation, has been working to bring in electoral and political reforms.