Balod administration encourages people at Garba event to vote in Chhattisgarh assembly polls

Balod: The Balod district administration has organised a programme on the theme of the ongoing Garba and Navratri festival in a bid to encourage people to vote in the Chhattisgarh assembly polls scheduled next month, an official said on Sunday.

The event was held on Saturday night as part of the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme to encourage voters to exercise their franchise, the district administration's public relations officer said.

Balod Collector Kuldeep Sharma, Deputy Collector Prachi Thakur, zilla panchayat CEO Renuka Shrivastava, Deputy Superintendent of Police Navneet Kaur and other officials participated in the event held at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stadium in Balod town.

During the programme, the collector asked the people to take the pledge to vote. He told the people that voting is the biggest festival of democracy and appealed to them to participate in it, the official said.

Similar events were also being organised at schools in the district, he added.

Polling for the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17 and votes will be counted on December 3.