Cricketers Mohammad Shami,
Rinku Singh
, actor
Agastya Nanda
, and singer-composer couple
Sachet Tandon
and
Parampara Thakur
are set to motivate
young voters
in the state to exercise their franchise during the upcoming
Lok Sabha elections
.
The five celebs who belong to Uttar Pradesh or are connected with the state in any way, have been nominated by the Election Commission as Regional Icons to
motivate
eligible citizens, especially youngsters to cast their votes and participate in the electoral process.
Mohd Shami
and Rinku Singh are members of the Indian cricket team. Shami, who belongs to Amroha, was the highest wicket taker in the World Cup 2023 and has recently been conferred the Arjuna Award, while Rinku Singh, who belongs to Aligarh, is touted as one of the most reliable batters and bowlers of the Indian team.
Singer-composer couple Sachet Tandon and Parampara Thakur (BCCL/ @sachettandonofficial)
Agastya Nanda, the maternal grandson of Amitabh Bachchan who recently made his debut with the film Archie, has also been nominated as an ECI Icon for UP and so has singer-composer Sachet Tandon. The latter belongs to Lucknow and along with his wife Parampara, is known for songs like Bekhayali from the film Kabir Singh, Maiyya Mainu from Jersey and Kudmayi from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
The five icons will be engaging with voters through video messages and if possible also be meeting the youth in person to encourage them to enroll in the poll rolls and cast their votes.
Rinku Singh (BCCL/ @rinkukumar12)
On the choice of these celebrities to be the State EC Icons, Nidhi Srivastava, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, UP, informs, “We have nominated these well-known personalities to be the face of the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative in the state. These ‘icons’ have a huge following on social media and otherwise too and are great achievers in their respective fields. Being from UP or connected with the state in a way, they are the ideal role models for people to emulate and be motivated by. Our endeavour is to encourage and influence the youth to be involved in the polling process with the help of such achievers.”
She further adds, “Members of the Election Commission reached out to each one of them to be involved with us and they have all given their consent for it. We will initially be recording their messages to be played for the public and given their busy schedules, we will also try and have them visit polling booths around the elections when the dates are announced and also cast their votes during the Lok Sabha elections.”
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