Kerala Assembly Polls 2026: ‘Poll dance’ goes viral in Kerala as election officials seek to boost youth participation in April 9 polls

A dance video featuring Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar, Thiruvananthapuram District Collector Anu Kumari and other election officials is making waves as election officials step up their efforts to woo young voters to the polling stations for the April 9 Assembly polls in Kerala.

The 1.33 minute video, on the theme every vote counts, has Mr. Kelkar dancing on the seashore with top officials involved in the conduct of elections including Ms. Kumari – the District Collector being the District Election Officer – and Assistant Collector Sivasakthivel C.

Voter apathy among the younger generation has been an area of concern in Kerala for election officials.

The video was shot at Hotel KTDC Samudra, Kovalam, as part of the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities in Thiruvananthapuram district to ensure maximum voter participation, especially among the younger generation, the district administration said.

Mr. Kelkar said it was the first time that he had done such a video. It also features classical dance moves by Ms. Kumari. Manasa R.B., an intern at the Collector’s office had choreographed the trendy moves to an election theme song released by the CEO’s office. The CEO’s office, the Thiruvananthapuram district administration and the District SVEEP Team were behind its production.

The Thiruvananthapuram district administration had earlier organised scuba diving, paragliding events as part of the SVEEP activities.

The Election Commission of India (EC) has set a target of at least 85% voter turnout. Recently, the CEO’s office had announced a ‘halwa campaign’ to boost youth participation in the elections. ‘Specially-branded halwa’ will be distributed to first-time voters at selected polling booths in every district as part of the ‘Vote Sweetened Kerala’ campaign.

On Monday, Mr. Kelkar’s office also announced a tie-up with a prominent cafe chain. The first 15 people who visit the outlets of the chain in Kerala after voting would get a 15% discount on April 9.