Assembly elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to be held on November 20, and preparations are in full swing. The Election Commission (EC) is working to ensure maximum voter turnout in the state, making various efforts to encourage participation. In a special offer, the EC has announced that voters in Mumbai who show their inked finger on election day will receive up to a 20% discount at select shops, restaurants, and multiplexes.
An official said this initiative, which aims to encourage voting, was launched after discussions with associations of traders, multiplex owners, and restaurant owners. The Election Commission launched a voting awareness campaign titled "Utsav Matdaten, Abhiman Maharashtra" ("Festival of Elections, Pride of Maharashtra") on Friday, focusing on increasing voter turnout.
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Officials from the Mumbai Police and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) attended the event at the Gateway of India in Mumbai, along with celebrities like Varsha Usgaonkar, Mohan Joshi, Rohit Shetty, and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane. India Post also released a special cancellation stamp in celebration of the elections, which will be available until November 20.
Farogh Mukadam, Mumbai's nodal election officer, shared that this discount initiative is the brainchild of Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, who also serves as the district election officer for Mumbai city and the Mumbai suburban district. On October 31, Gagrani held a meeting with representatives from the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association, Multiplex Association of India, Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association, and other trade bodies to discuss this initiative.
Multiplex chains such as PVR Inox, Cinepolis, Mirage, Sterling, Mukta, Moviemax, and Movie Time have agreed to offer a 20% discount to voters from November 20 to 22 in city. Mukadam further explained that the Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Aahar) has offered a 10 to 20% discount on food for voters who show their inked finger on November 20 and 21. This offer, however, is not valid for online bookings or purchases.
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It was also announced that the Maharashtra Retail Association and Reliance Retail Outlets would offer discounts of 10 to 15% on November 20. During the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, many restaurants and retail shops in Mumbai had independently offered similar discounts to encourage voting.