EC's SVEEP icon Mamitha Baiju's name missing from voters' list

KOTTAYAM: Mamitha Baiju, the actress who made an indelible career mark through ‘Premalu’ will not be able to cast her vote this time. Recently, the Election Commission declared the star as the Sveep Youth Icon to spread the message of not wasting votes.

The big gaffe was realized when the political parties came and delivered the voting slips to the actress's residence. Mamitha’s father Dr Baiju responded that the busy shooting schedules have made it impossible for the actress to enter her name into the voters list. If not for the error, this would have been Mamitha’s first attempt at voting in the biggest festival of democracy.

The Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation Program (SVEEP) is a new initiative by the Election Commission to educate voters and promote voting literacy. As part of this, Justice KT Thomas, Commander Abhilash Tommy, Miss Trans Global winner and model Shruti Sithara and singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi have been designated as icons of Kottayam constituency.

Mamitha was chosen by the commission as the Sveep youth icon to attract teenage women voter base. Prominent people are selected on a district basis by the election commission to spread the importance of voting.