10 steps Election Commission could have taken to ensure more voter turnout in Mumbai

Yesterday Mumbai once again lived up to its name of a city that gives a damn, by showing middle finger to the elections. In hindsight, a few proactive steps by Election Commission could have ensure in getting healthy voter turnouts:

1. Polling Booth inside Dadar Station: Installing a polling booth inside Dadar Station alone could have ensured a 70-80% turnout in Mumbai. In addition to this, one poll booth in one Kalyan bound fast local in the evening hours itself could have added another 15% of Mumbai votes.

2. Election Commission should have picked up and forcefully made people loitering aimlessly outside Salman Khan’s galaxy apartment residence and Shahrukh Khan’s mannat residence to vote. That could have upped the turnout by another 5-10%.

3. Threat to ban on Vada Pavs: A Mumbaikar may go without oxygen for a day, but Vada Pav is his staple diet. There have been instances when fights have broken out over Vada Pavs. For Mumbaikars it is Jar, Joru, Jameen and Vada Pav. A threat to ban this very symbol of survival if people don’t vote could have ensured a good turnout.

Few people from Bollywood who may be outcast after they recklessly turned up to vote.

4. Approaching vehicles on SV Road: Had Election Commission asked its officers to approach every vehicle stuck in a jam (big or small) on SV Road during evening, and made them vote on a portable EVM then and there, it would have ensured good turnout.

5. EC could have tied up with developers/owners of Candy Crush, Temple Run, etc. and asked them to allow only those who have voted to play these games. They would have agreed to it as a part of their Corporate Social responsibility.

6. Twitter/Facebook: Especially for Mumbai people, EC could have come up with an option to vote directly from Twitter and Facebook accounts. People could have voted which could have generates an automated tweet like I have voted for AAP/BJP/MNS. Have you?

7. Vote from home: Another facility for lazy rich brats of Mumbai, where in by shelling few lakhs they could have availed service of having a dedicate EVM directly couriered to their homes, on which they could have then hired another person to just press the button.

8. EC could have hired professional photographers like Daboo Ratnani etc for a day and promised people especially from South Mumbai of a nice photo of their inked finger if they vote.

9. A polling booth inside Café Leopald, Gokul and Toto’s Bandra at any given point in a day would have gathered at least half of Mumbai votes.

10. A rumor by EC that groups like AVICII, AKCENT etc are performing at every booth in the city could have brought more people to the booth.

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4. Before “I am a Voter”, Facebook had planned to launch “I am a Vote Bank” button


5. AAP & BJP guys fight while waiting in polling queue, leave for Gujarat to verify Modi’s claims