Aiming to end a system of apathy and to ensure Bengalureans play an active role in governance, citizens’ group United Bengaluru and the Office of MP Rajeev Chandrashekar conducted a voters’ registration drive in Mount Carmel College on Tuesday.

With Assembly Elections in Karnataka fast approaching, the ‘Register to Vote’ campaign aims to not only enrol new voters and encourage a greater voter turnout in 2018. The campaign also hopes to educate first-time voters and create an informed citizenry, who will in turn choose the right person for the job.

The event kickstarted with a play by Green Stage theatre group, which has been staging plays across the state on various social issues.

Speaking at the event, Chandrasekar highlighted the importance of participating in the electoral process. “The youth has a tendency to stay away from politics. It is a fashion right now, but it’s too expensive as you are the ones who will inherit future,” said the Rajya Sabha MP to the students of Mount Carmel College.

PG Bhatt, social Activist and electoral analyst, who has been campaigning to clean errors found in electoral rolls across the country provided a step by step guide to the enrolment process. “In order to mend the system, one needs to be part of the system. The first process is to register yourself,” said Bhatt. He pointed out that athough Bengaluru remains the IT hub of India, the online enrolment process is yet to kickstart in the state.

The talks were preceded by a panel discussion featuring MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, PG Bhatt, Vivek Subbareddy, Politician and Senior Advocate, Maureen Almeida Student coordinator and chaired by Prasanna Vishwanatha CEO, Swarajyamag. The panellists observed that as the youth constitute a majority in the country, they are the ones who decide India’s future. They also reiterated that each vote counts.