Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 27 (ANI): The Election Commission has partnered with popular animated character 'Chhota Bheem' to launch a campaign aimed at raising voter awareness ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, scheduled for April 23 and 29, 2026.

The initiative is designed to engage young voters and address common misconceptions and questions related to the voting process, particularly for first-time voters.

Rajiv Chilaka, the Founder & CEO of Green Gold Animation and the creator of 'Chhota Bheem,' expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, 'We are tied up with the Election Commission of India in order to promote awareness of voting and also the importance of voting using the character of Bheem. For such a purpose, we're running a campaign wherein we have created comics that promote awareness among voters.'

Chilaka highlighted the need for such initiatives, especially in a country like India, where a large percentage of the population is young.

'India is a young country, and there are so many first-time voters who are very confused about the process, and because they are confused about the process, they may not show up for voting. So we want to promote voting and also understand... make them explain what the needs are, if they are not registered, how to register and get themselves listed in the voter list, in fact, if they don't have a voter ID, can they still vote? So these kinds of queries we are answering through the comics and also running some awareness campaigns,' he told ANI.

According to him, the campaign utilises the character of Bheem, who is known for his positive values and neutrality. Chilaka believes that Bheem's popularity among children and adults alike makes him an ideal ambassador for voter awareness.

'Bheem is a neutral character and is an animated character, it is perfect to do... to promote voter awareness being neutral and at the same time also as the character stands for good values, it's very perfectly apt to promote voting awareness among Indian citizens, not just children, for the grown-ups also, this would be a great guide for voting,' he further said.

Chhota Bheem creator further said that the campaign will be officially launched in West Bengal tomorrow, where Bheem will also make a public appearance as a mascot to encourage youth participation in the elections.

Chilaka further shared that this awareness drive will extend to other states, including Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Assam, where elections will soon be taking place.

Polling in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will be held on April 9 in a single phase. Tamil Nadu will hold its elections on April 23 in a single phase. Counting of votes for all five states and UTs is scheduled for May 4. (ANI)