Madhya Pradesh: Free breakfast, ice cream distributed to early voters in Indore to increase voter turnout

Indore: The shopkeepers association of '56 Dukaan' in Indore, Madhya Pradesh came up with a unique initiative to increase voter turnout by distributing free breakfast and ice creams to early voters on Monday.
A long queue of voters was seen getting breakfast at the shops at 56 Dukan Market in the city.
Voting in Indore, along with seven other parliamentary seats in Madhya Pradesh, which include Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Dhar, Khargone and Khandwa is underway in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024. Voting began at 7 am and would continue till 6 pm, according to the Election Commission.
A shop owner at 56 Dukan, Shyamlal Sharma told ANI, "Indore has always stood out, and we will stand out in voting as well. We have offered free breakfast to people so that they come out early and vote. This free service is available from 7-9 AM to all voters. We are offering Indore's favourite breakfast: poha and jalebi."
He further said that this initiative aimed to raise awareness among the voters and encourage them to exercise their franchise.
"Our motive is to raise awareness among voters and encourage them to cast votes. We also offered free breakfast last time as well (state assembly poll) and fed around 5,000-6,000 people. This time, we hope to serve around 11,000-12,000 people," he added.
Besides, an ice cream shopkeeper offered free ice cream to voters at the '56 Dukan' in the city.
"56 Dukan is offering ice cream to all voters. We are not offering ice cream for free but we are returning what we have earned from the nation and Indore. We bow down to the voters who woke up early in the morning to come out and vote for democracy. I respect and thank everyone for voting early in the morning," ice cream vendor Kailash Rijhwani told ANI.
Madhya Pradesh recorded 32.38 per cent voter turnout till 11 am in the fourth phase of polling for eight parliamentary seats in the state, according to the data released by the Election Commission of India.
Dewas is leading the voter turnout charts with 35.83 per cent voting followed by Ujjain 34.25 per cent, Mandsaur 34.12 per cent, Ratlam 34.04 per cent, Khargone 33.52 per cent, Dhar 32.62 per cent, Khandwa 31.87 per cent, and Indore 25.01 per cent till 11 am so far in the state.
Voting in eight parliamentary seats of Madhya Pradesh which include Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone and Khandwa is underway. Voting began at 7 am and would continue till 6 pm.
Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh are being conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling was held on April 19, the second phase took place on April 26 and the third phase concluded on May 7. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
With 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, Madhya Pradesh ranks sixth among all states in terms of its representation in the Lower House. Of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved.