In UP, 10 extra marks for your college kids if you vote

This is one voter mobilisation effort that wins top grade. The principal of a college in Lucknow is offering 10 extra marks to his college students if they can get their parents to vote in the Assembly elections currently under way. Rakesh Kumar Chettri, principal of Lucknow’s Christ College, says it’s part of his effort to inculcate in his students the importance of voter participation in a democracy such as ours. [caption id=“attachment_213630” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“A Lucknow college is offering a unique lesson in voter mobilisation. Reuters”]  [/caption] “Don’t think of (the extra marks) as a bribe,” he tells his students. “It’s just to develop a habit in you so that when you reach age 18 and are eligible to vote, you should not need anyone to come and convince you to vote.” Some students appear to get the underlying message behind this unique campaign. Says a student in the college: “My parents are constantly complaining that our leaders are not working properly, and find fault with our government. I ask them, ‘What did you do to change things? Why didn’t you vote?’” Others appear to have found the extra 10 marks enough of an incentive. “I will force my mother to vote just for the 10 extra marks,”says another student. But how will the college confirm if the parents have voted or not, and if the students qualify for the extra marks? Says Chettri: “There will be a Parents-Teachers Association meeting, and I will call on parents to show the indelible ink sign on their fingers to establish proof of their having voted.” Even the Election Commission is undertaking a multimedia campaign to get first-time voters to vote. It’s even released a music video to appeal to young people to get them to vote. Watch the CNN-IBN report here