Mahendra Singh Dhoni to bat for voter awareness in Jharkhand assembly polls – Times of India

RANCHI: Jharkhand’s chief electoral officer, K. Ravi Kumar, announced on Friday that iconic cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni will join hands with the Election Commission to promote voter awareness during the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
The assembly polls are scheduled to take place in two phases on November 13 and 20, with the results to be announced on November 23.
Dhoni, who comes from Ranchi, expressed his willingness to participate in the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme through a letter sent to the Election Commission, Kumar informed the media.
“The Election Commission plans to leverage Dhoni’s image and popularity to encourage more people to exercise their right to vote, thereby increasing voter turnout,” said Kumar.
As part of the collaboration, Dhoni will work closely with the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Jharkhand to support the voter awareness campaign. Kumar emphasised that the involvement of a renowned personality like Dhoni will significantly strengthen the SVEEP initiative.
With the nomination period for the first phase of elections concluding on Friday, the scrutiny of nominations is scheduled for October 28, while the last date for the withdrawal of nominations is October 30.
Kumar stated that 16 FIRs have been filed so far for violations of the Model Code of Conduct, with Garhwa district recording the highest number of 9 FIRs. Additionally, since the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct in Jharkhand, illegal goods and cash worth over 5.117 billion have been seized by the authorities.