Chennai,  With the urban local body (ULB) polls in Tamil Nadu scheduled to be held on February 19, several youngsters in the state are unaware of the polls and those who are aware do not have information about their wards, candidates, and polling booths.

Several youths in the age group of 18 to 21, who are mostly in colleges or other professional institutions, lack information about the local polls.

Sujaya Kumar, 21, a student of an arts and science college in Chennai told IANS: "I am not aware of the ULB polls as I have just voted in the 2021 Assembly elections. Now, I will have to check about my polling booth and the ward. There is no high pitch campaigning this time which I witnessed during the Assembly elections."

Another major factor plaguing the voters is the lack of information on the wards where they live and the number assigned to the ward. Even the house tax receipts, according to several residents, are different from the actual ward they live in.

R. Rajesh of Ashok Nagar in Chennai told IANS: "I tried several helpline numbers but did not get a proper answer. I am being directed to contact the tahsildars and most of the numbers which they provide are not working. Information on wards is lacking and this prevents us from casting our vote. I am trying to educate my son studying in the tenth standard on the importance of elections and voting so that by the time he reaches the legal age of voting, he would have made all the preparations. I will somehow vote in the election and am trying hard to get the details of the booth and other details".

Experts, however, point out that the lack of information on elections and the hesitancy to vote are linked to youths who don't have any political affiliations and those who vote only under compulsion.

Dr R. Padmanabhan, Director, Socio-Economic Development Foundation, a think-tank based out of Madurai while speaking to IANS, said: "In a democracy, people should be aware of their rights and voting is a major right. These youngsters must be abreast of what is going around them. The lack of political education and the thought among the middle class that politics, elections, and voting are bad has resulted in such an attitude and my suggestion is to provide proper education about elections during the school time itself so that students would be aware of it when they become eligible for voting."

Many people assume that the polling booths will be crowded and don't reach there fearing they will contract Covid-19.

However, Tamil Nadu State Election Commission has quashed all rumours related to crowded polling booths and in a statement said that the elections are being conducted abiding by the Standard Operating Protocol including wearing of masks, social distancing, and washing hands periodically, and use of sanitisers. The poll body also said that the number of polling booths has been increased to prevent crowding at booths.