Shubman Gill is currently a part of the Indian cricket team which is playing the Test series against England at home.
Chandigarh: Star India cricketer Shubman Gill has been designated as the ‘state icon’ by the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer’s office ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Gill, an U-19 World Cup winner and a rising star in Indian cricket, is currently with the Indian team for the ongoing Test series against England at home. The 23-year-old will be engaging in various election campaigns urging the voters to exercise their voting rights, creating an awareness in the process, Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C said on Monday.
The poll panel has set the target of “Is Vaar 70 Paar”. Punjab had recorded a voter turnout of 65.96 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls for the 13 seats. The development took place in a meeting chaired by Sibin with all deputy commissioners of Punjab on Friday. He has also asked the authorities to identify areas where the voting percentage was low during the last elections.
He said that awareness campaigns and appeals made by Shubman Gill in such areas would motivate the voters and help increase the turnout. Earlier, popular Punjabi singer Tarsem Jassar had been selected as a ‘state icon’ and he too would conduct similar campaigns, he said.
The CEO expressed hope that the first-time voters would be influenced by Shubman Gill and Tarsem Jassar, and exercise their franchise, while also appealing to the people of other age groups to vote in large numbers. The Lok Sabha polls are likely to be held in April-May.
With PTI Inputs