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Will financial capital overcome voter apathy and keep up to date with the polls? | India News
MUMBAI: Today, Mumbai’s corporate honchos will swap their suits for sneakers as they queue up to vote. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran will cast their votes at Villa Theresa High School on Peddar Road, while Mahindra Group chief Anand Mahindra will exercise his franchise at Walsingham School in Malabar Hill .
Section 135 B of the Representation of the People Act mandates that businesses and establishments in the voting area declare a paid holiday on voting day. Essential services, including hospitals and electricity providers, have implemented flexible schedules to ensure that both civic duties and critical services are maintained.
“To facilitate voting on Monday, functional heads may allow employees to report in late or leave early up to a maximum duration of three hours if their work hours are between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” read the memo from a means of communication.
At commercial air conditioning and refrigeration major Blue Star, “customer care employees and those attending emergency operations will be given compensatory time off,” said the company’s MD B Thiagarajan.
In a city known for voter apathy, authorities have done everything they can to increase turnout and bring it closer to the national average of 67% from the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Mumbai’s overall vote share has increased by more than 50% only three times since 1991. In the 2019 polls, the six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai recorded a voter turnout of 55%.
However, debates have arisen in certain quarters about whether granting an election holiday results in greater voter turnout.
“Employees are vital to the success of any organization and the nation. Allowing them to vote without work commitments can be a significant catalyst to increase voter turnout,” said Neha Mishra, Head of People Process at Homesfy.
However, the fact that election day in Mumbai is on a Monday, the first day of the corporate week, may dampen enthusiasm due to the pressure of meeting multiple deadlines. Rishi Anand, MD Rishi Anand of Blackstone-backed Aadhar Housing Finance said, “Although voting is not mandatory, a day off will definitely encourage voters to vote.” “If you vote, it will help decide who will be the people’s representative to govern the country on our behalf.”
Meanwhile, on a lighter note, the National Restaurant Association of India’s Bombay chapter is offering a “democracy discount” on Monday and Tuesday, providing a 20% reduction on dining bills for those who vote. A tattooed finger will be mandatory to take advantage of the offer.