Indian divers take voting awareness campaign to the depths of sea

Two youngsters, each aged 18, a businessman, a senior citizen and a fisherman led by acclaimed scuba diving instructor SB Aravind Tharunsrisubmerged themselves into the depths of the sea off the coast of Chennai. Why? The world's biggest democracy is in the middle of a heated election summer with about 97 million eligible voters set to seal their electoral verdict inside Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) starting April 19.

The six divers went nearly sixty feet underwater in Neelankarai in Chennai to promote voter awareness ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The divers took with them a mock Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and placards showing messages related to the importance of casting their vote

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Speaking to WION,SB Aravind Tharunsridirector of Puducherry-based Temple Adventure, said, "The idea behind doing all this 60 feet deep into the sea was to put out that even if you want to cast your vote on the NOTA, come to the polling booth and do that. But you have to come to the polling booth."

Indian voters cast their vote through Electronic Voting Machines. The voters press the key in front of their chosen candidate, and the one with the most number of votes is declared the winner. None of the Above, abbreviated as NOTA, has been provided as an option to the voters in elections since 2013. The voters have the option to press NOTA in case they do not wish to vote for any of the candidates.

A video capturing the campaign shows one of the divers talking about the importance of voting. "We organised a voter awareness programme to show that casting a vote is our duty and right."

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Tharunsri's innovative approach aimed to engage citizens in an impactful manner, and netizens have showered praise on the initiative on social media.

The Lok Sabha elections, scheduled to be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, will see voters across the country exercise their democratic rights. With nearly 970 million eligible voters, this will be the world's largest election exercise.

With initiatives like the underwater voter awareness campaign, individuals and organisations are striving to ensure maximum participation in the electoral process.