Karnataka Assembly Elections 2013: Street plays create voter awareness

Bangalore: Street plays are a powerful medium to impact the public and the Election Commission this time has opted for this form of informal theatre to make the electorate in Karnataka know its responsibility.

Aimed at creating awareness among the public about elections and voters` rights, street plays with voters` rights and their importance as their pivot were staged at the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)`s main office recently. Karnataka is going to Assembly polls on May 5. Artistes from across the state staged unique street plays as part of Systematic Voter`s Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP), conducted under the aegis of the Election Commission of India. According to stage artiste Lalitha GN, "the response to the street plays staged in well known pockets of the city, including Malleshwaram and Jayanagar has been excellent.People watched the plays with rapt attention, soaking in everything that was being told to them through this medium". The street plays will cover all the 198 wards and partly Anekal taluk. Under the first phase, around 10 constituencies were covered in the last few days, says G S Mallanna, programme coordinator. In the second phase, five constituencies have been covered, besides employees of Information Technology and Biotechnology firms. "The target audience in this phase was the youth and the response we received from them was very encouraging", Mallanna said. The remaining places will be covered in the last phase. The street performances will end on May 3, two days prior to the polls. More people have been roped in this programme of creating better understanding of voters` rights this time and the number of teams performing the plays has been ramped up from six to 18, to cover all areas, he said. PTI