Please cast your vote, says Sweety
Wayanad’s election mascot is a new species of dragon y, the Red-rumped Hawklet, which was discovered in 2023
As poll fever rages, Kerala’s Wayanad constituency has got itself an election mascot — a dragony. The species Epithemis wayanadensis or the Red-rumped Hawklet, discovered from the region, will be driving voters to polling booths.
Named Sweety after the title of the initiative, Spreading Wayanad’s Election Enthusiasm through Epithemis wayanadensis, the dragony was chosen by the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation Programme (SVEEP).
Initiated and conceptualised by Renu Raj, the District Collector of Wayanad and her team, Sweety aims not only to encourage voter participation but also to showcase the rich biodiversity of Wayanad. The larger goal is to integrate natural conservation eorts into electoral discussions.
SVEEP has planned a series of programmes aimed at empowering citizens to exercise their voting rights, making new voters aware of the processes, hosting competitions among students and the general public to foster a culture of electoral literacy. And Sweety will play a big role in these campaigns, according to the Government of Kerala’s portal.
The dragony was discovered collectively by Vivek Chandran and Subin K Jose, researchers at the Environmental Science Department at Christ College, Irinjalakkuda, geneticist Zeeshan A Mirza from Max Planck Institute for Biology in Germany, and naturalist and wildlife photographer David Raju. “Mascots of Nature play a crucial role in raising awareness about biodiversity conservation and its intersection with electoral processes. Sweety symbolises the unique biodiversity of Wayanad and highlights the need for sustainable development practices within the electoral discourse,” says David, who is also the general manager of CGH
Wayanad Wild, a property of CGH Earth at Lakkidi in Wayanad.
In 2022, David had spotted a peculiar dragony, the Ruby-tailed Hawklet at the Pookode Lake in Wayanad. He later found the same dragony at the CGH Wayanad Wild property, but on close examination, found that there were distinct dierences in morphology and genetic makeup.
Along with the team of researchers, a DNA analysis was done to ascertain that the new species was dierent from the Ruby-tailed Hawklet. It was then described as the Red-rumped Hawklet.
Using mascots during elections is not a new thing. While Bengal Tiger Baghu is creating awareness about voters’ rights in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, Odisha’s Sambalpur district administration has announced ‘Voter Dada’ and ‘Voter Nani’ as election mascots dressed in traditional Sambalpuri attire.