Pune: Many housing societies across the city on Thursday went hands on to encourage their members to vote to counter apathy and helped provide clarity on the updated voting format using WhatsApp groups, internal polls and door-to-door visits.Chaitanya Sharma, member of the Keshavnagar Welfare Association, said confusion over the voting process had deterred many residents initially.“This election format, with four votes and multiple candidates, is new to people. Our first aim was to teach residents how to vote,” Sharma said. Societies ran awareness campaigns explaining the process and encouraging participation. On polling day, associations across several societies in the area initiated informal WhatsApp polls within their internal groups to track participation, he added.“We urged societies to run simple polls asking how many family members have voted. In my society, around 100 people had voted by afternoon,” he said, adding that the exercise was meant to motivate residents and assess turnout. Sharma said the desire to vote was stronger this time as residents viewed the civic polls as the most immediate opportunity to address long-pending local issues.Similar initiatives were reported from Koregaon Park and adjoining areas, where resident welfare associations focused on voter education much before polling day.Rohan Desai, founder of the Koregaon Park Residents Welfare Association, said coordinated messaging was sent through neighbourhood-level networks. “Our parent body, the National Association for Clean Cities, worked well in advance through mohalla committees to guide voters on checking their names in the voters list and addressing issues like duplicate or multiple entries,” he said.Associations also inspired residents who were disillusioned with politics to be part of the democratic process. “Many were upset that things don’t change. We told them to at least go and vote, even if it is for NOTA. Voting is a way to register dissatisfaction too,” Desai added.Core-members of several housing society associations kept putting reminders on the WhatsApp groups for people to go vote before the 5.30pm deadline.Dattatraya Deshmukh, chairman of Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Society Federation, repeatedly posted on various housing society groups, urging everyone to go vote.“We lose the right to complain when we don’t vote. Members of large societies should vote to ensure that they get the desired candidate, who will get work done. Citizens can’t avoid elections, consider it a holiday and then grumble,” Deshkmukh said.Ravet housing society Sai Platinum offered its residents Rs1,000 off on one month of maintenance if all eligible voters in the family cast their vote. It acted as a motivator and 98% of residents went to elect their representative.Society chairman Amol Kalekar told TOI: “Educated people must step out to vote. Only then will politicians take cognisance of our issues. Slum-dwellers are big vote banks. Therefore, they are given innumerable schemes and their issues are always resolved. Those living in societies must keep voting to tip the scale in their favour and elect someone who will look after their demands, instead of ignoring them.”
