Eye on first-time voters, UP Congress to hold online quiz themed around Nehru, Gandhi, UPA

Open only to residents of UP, the district-level Congress-centric general knowledge quiz contest will be held on 13 and 14 September.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra | Photo: ANI

New Delhi: With an eye on attracting first-time voters to the party, the Uttar Pradesh Congress is planning an online quiz competition for the state’s youth.

Designed for the age group of 16-22 years, the Rajiv Gandhi General Knowledge Competition, focused on the Independence movement and various schemes launched by Congress-led UPA governments in the past, will be held on 13 and 14 September.

Open only to the residents of UP, the district-level quiz, incidentally, coincides with NEET, which is scheduled for 13 September, and will come just after the JEE Mains set to take place between 1 and 6 September.

UP Congress spokesperson Umashankar Pandey told ThePrint that the party is opposing all offline exams — including NEET and JEE for admission to medical and engineering colleges, respectively — due to the prevailing Covid pandemic.

“That is why this quiz competition is also being conducted in an online format. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to conduct this competition under the current circumstances,” said Pandey.

Students across the country and several states have opposed the Narendra Modi government’s decision to hold the exams at a time when Covid cases are surging at record pace.

Congress’s UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has taken a keen interest in the decision to organise the quiz, sources in the party said. The Congress had organised a similar competition in many states to commemorate the 75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi in August last year, but in the offline format.

“All the officials of party’s frontal organizations (Women Congress, Youth Congress, NSUI etc.) have been entrusted with specific responsibilities for organising it. Our volunteers will contact schools and coaching centers in different districts to motivate students to participate in this quiz competition,” said Pandey.

The winners will be awarded prizes like laptops, mobiles, tablets, etc.

First-time voters

A senior UP Congress leader said this competition is an attempt to woo the first-time voters. This is why the age limit has been decided as 16 to 22. A student who is 16 now will turn 18 by the time of assembly elections in 2022, becoming eligible to vote for the first time.

Through this competition, the party plans to add approximately 18 lakh such young voters. At the time of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, there were about 12 lakh first-time voters in UP.

After the quiz, Priyanka Gandhi will interact with the winners, congratulating them and their families. This will also help in boosting her personal connect with people, said the leader, who did not wish to be named.

60 questions in 30 minutes

Mohit Pandey, the social media in-charge of UP Congress, said the exam will be of 30 minutes duration and have 60 questions.

According to him, 30 different sets of questions have been prepared. The quiz will have questions related to UPA schemes such as the MNREGA and the Food Security Act. There could also be questions related to the Independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Students can participate in the online quiz through mobile phones or laptops. A special security system will be installed in the software to prevent any kind of malpractice. Thumb impressions, signature etc. will also be collected before the commencement of the examination, said Pandey.