Supplyco’s offer seeks to draw voter participation

Supplyco is linking an everyday staple to an electoral message this poll season. Ahead of the April 9 vote, the state-run retailer, in association with the Ernakulam district administration and SVEEP, the election commission’s voter awareness programme, has rolled out a campaign aimed at encouraging voter participation.Dubbed ‘Vote and Enjoy Puttu,’ the initiative offers a simple bargain: Cast your vote and walk away with 1kg of Sabari puttu flour for just Rs 1. The catch? Voters must visit any Supplyco outlet on April 10 or 11 and present the ink mark on their finger as proof of participation in the democratic process. Additionally, they must purchase nonsubsidized goods worth more than Rs 1,000 from the store to avail the offer.Supplyco operates more than 1,600 outlets across the state.

“We supply 13 essential items, including pulses and coconut oil, at subsidized rates, while the rest are sold as non-subsidized products. Adequate stock has been arranged to ensure the availability of puttu flour over the two days, April 10 and 11,” an official said.Supplyco introduced rice flour under its Sabari brand last year at Rs 46 per kg, along with four other products. The corporation records monthly sales of around Rs 200 crore, even as it incurs losses of Rs 15 crore.

Its outlets distribute a range of subsidized essentials, including four varieties of rice, sugar, chilli, coriander and urad dal. For now, though, the message is simple: Vote first, then come home to puttu.Meanwhile, first-time voters in the April 9 Assembly polls will be greeted with a sweet incentive, halwa, under a special initiative by the election commission. Chief electoral officer Rathan U Kelkar has rolled out the ‘Vote Sweetened Kerala’ campaign to encourage greater youth participation.

An order in this regard was issued a few days ago.In a parallel move, Uber India has partnered with the CEO’s office to offer free rides for voters in Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram. Voters can travel up to 2km at no cost using the app, and beyond this distance, only the additional fare applies.Voters can use the Uber app to access free rides—across car, auto and bike options—to their designated polling booths. All polling locations have been mapped within the app, making them easy to find and navigate.