“Awaz Do Techies” campaign by TITA

The Telangana Information Technology Association (TITA) join hands with an international political research and strategy organization 'Pramanya Strategy' with a goal of promoting higher voter turnout rates in upcoming GHMC elections among Techies with the slogan 'Awaz Do Hyderabad - Awaz Do Techies'.

To build the people-driven agenda, ‘Awaz Do Hyderabad - Awaz Do Techies’ campaign ensure that the power of setting election agenda lies with public who cast vote and not the political parties that seek votes. 'Pramanya Strategy' has successfully done similar projects in the US elections engaging the political parties and candidates in designing the agenda accordingly. The agenda will be passed on to the political parties and the candidates so that they make an informed strategy while going out to seek votes and make promises.

A dedicated IVR phone number (8471055557) with multiple lines will be used for people to call and leave their messages for inclusion in the agenda. Similarly, dedicated Twitter handle '@awazdohyd' and a Facebook Page '@Awaz Do Techies' will be used for the campaign. They can also leave WhatsApp messages, give missed calls or post the message in social media using the hashtag #AwazDoHyd for the information collectors to call back. This project will run for next 2 weeks (until the GHMC Election Day) with a goal of promoting higher voter turnout rates by way of civic-engagement in the election process.

"TITA feel responsible in bringing the awareness to the techies in the City about the importance of casting their genuine vote in the upcoming civic body elections. We feel proud to be partnered with Pramanya Strategy, an international political research and strategy organisation which is trying to make this change to ensure our message reach right people to increase voter’s turnout." Said TITA Founder & President Mr. Sundeep Kumar Makthala.

“In India, the right to vote is provided by the Constitution and the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, subject to certain disqualifications. Article 326 of the Constitution guarantees the right to vote to every citizen above the age of 18. Further, Section 62 of the Representation of Peoples Act (RoPA), 1951 states that every person who is in the electoral roll of that constituency will be entitled to vote. It has been a tendency among voters, especially in techies, to treat the voting day as a day of rest. While skipping the vote may not seem to cause any harm, the long-term consequences are disastrous. In a country so populous, a voter might feel that a single vote does not make any difference. However, the balance tilts when this becomes a national attitude and lakhs—perhaps crores—of votes are not cast. The whole edifice of Indian democracy is built on the foundation of voting. Finally, voting is an honor conferred on the citizens by the founding fathers. By exercising their right to vote, citizens demonstrate their respect for the history of the country. It is our duty as responsible citizens of India to make informed decisions and choose the best candidate from those presented.“ said Makthala.

“Telangana techies are known for citizen activism. In fact, many techies here raised voice on growing civic challenges in social media. However, this enthusiasm did not translate into votes. Areas with a concentration of Techies like Gachibowli, Kondapur, Jubilee Hills, Serilingampally, Madhapur, Miyapur, Chandanagar, Hafeezpet, Hydernagar, Tolichowki and parts of Kukatpally registered very low voting during the 2009 GHMC elections. Not only in Hyderabad, the much publicised 2015 Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections also received a lukewarm response from the Techies. Known as the IT corridor of Bengaluru, Bommanahalli, Mahadevapura, Thanisandra (Manyatha Tech Park), CV Raman Nagar (Bahmani Tech Park) and the areas surrounding Electronic City saw abysmal turnout techies in the BBMP polls.” said Makthala

"It has been alarming to realize that well educated, technological creme of the Hyderabad those work in the IT industry has extremely lower turnout. One of 'Awaz Do Hyderabad' campaign goal is to reach out to those techies who are socially conscious but don’t perceive these civic elections as crucial. We are collaborating with TITA who will be playing crucial role in reaching out to those Hyderabad techies online and on the ground. TITA has done various social activities in the past and is a well-respected organization in the techie community. Together, we will be working on public at large to set the agenda for this GHMC election while promoting voter turnout. “ said Pramanya Strategy Chief Hari Kasula.