A prize distribution ceremony was held today for the competition winners of Electofest – The Democracy Quiz, conducted online by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Meghalaya in collaboration with the Shillong Quizzing Society.
As a part of the ceremony, the CEO, BDR Tiwari, distributed hampers to eight winners of which three winners are first-time voters.
“The huge participation of young voters in this quiz is very encouraging. We say it so often that the youth have the power to change the country and indeed it is true because as a part of the largest democracy in the world, the energy and dynamic ideas that the youth bring in is unmatched,” Tiwari said while adding a plea for every Meghalaya voter to exercise their franchise on April 19 when the state goes to the polls for the Lok Sabha election.
Joint CEO Jonathan Shylla was also present at the event and said that Meghalaya has seen a rise in the number of young voters and such events like the quiz will further boost the turnout.
Electofest was conceptualised as a part of a campaign for creating voter awareness and literacy as well as promoting the history, importance and developments of elections of India and in Meghalaya.
The quiz, which is being conducted in an open-for-all format on Facebook and Instagram on the social media handles of the CEO Meghalaya and Shillong Quizzing Society, has so far engaged over 1,000 people across the state and will continue running until before the election.
“We have designed the quiz to be interactive in nature so that it becomes the perfect way of engaging young and first-time voters, helping them be aware of the profound impact that elections have on their futures and the weight their vote truly carry,” said Arpit Nayak, co-founder of the Shillong Quizzing Society, who started the organisation with his counterpart Anirban Paul in 2022.