To build voting awareness EC highlights role of media in workshop

Aizawl: The Election Commission is giving utmost importance to media role for high voter turnout and has appealed to voters from various walks of life to participate in large numbers in the upcoming Mizoram Assembly elections, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Elections to the 40-member assembly of Mizoram will be held in a single phase on November 7 and the counting of votes will take place on December 3.
Addressing a one-day sensitization workshop for mediapersons in Aizawl, State Additional Chief Electoral Officer H Lianzela said the Election Commission attaches importance to voter awareness through various news platforms.
He urged the journalists present at the workshop to cooperate with the Election Department in the electoral process and educate people to ensure maximum voter turnout and deliver transparent, free, fair and peaceful elections.
H. Lianzela also urged media houses to maintain a level playing field and publish reliable information only after fact-checking.
Urging the media persons to create awareness among as many people as possible, the official said that the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) will organize a newspaper competition on voter awareness from October 26 to November 6.
He also urged local newspapers to emphasize voter awareness in their editorial columns on November 6 and 7.
Lianzela urged voters, who live outside their constituency or state, to make it a priority to exercise their right to vote on polling day as the state government has declared November 7 as a public holiday.
Several reporters and media houses from the state participated in the media workshop organized by the media cell of the CEO’s office.
During the workshop, four resource persons Dr. Lallawmkima, IPRO, Vanlalringa, Senior Informatics Officer, H. Vanlalruatfeli, Programmer, CEO Office and Zonun Sanga, Addl. SP, CID Crime presented papers on various topics including media/social media related issues, CVIGIL/KYC and helpline apps, facility and candidate apps and media related crimes during elections.