Swiggy Instamart delivers 'Tinday' to urge Maharashtra users to vote

With Maharashtra set to vote for its Assembly Elections on November 20, Swiggy Instamart chose the opportune moment to deliver a very important message- "Cast your vote. Own your choices."- but in its own quirky style. 

Some users in Maharashtra received 'tinday' or apple gourd as part of their Swiggy Instamart orders on Tuesday, even though they had not ordered it. It came in a package that said "Didn't choose tinday but stuck with tinday? That's what happens when someone else makes the choice for you." The campaign reminds the users to exercise their right to vote and make the choice for their elected leader themselves. 

The choice of 'tinday' is interesting, as it is popularly considered a vegetable that is universally disliked. Offering a vegetable for free that most people do not like, makes the message stronger- if we do not choose for ourselves, we will get a not-so-preferred leader.  

The quick commerce app has previously executed this campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in May 2024. Some users received tinday with the same message in May as well. It was much appreciated on social media and became quite a buzz. 

Also Read: Top Maha parties spend Rs 6.5 cr on Google and Meta ads in 30 days 

Many parts of Maharashtra, especially urban centres like Mumbai and Pune, are plagued by a perennial issue of low voter turnout. While announcing the poll dates for Maharashtra on October 15, Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said the commission deliberately scheduled the polling days in Maharashtra in the middle of the week to ensure better turnout. Calling it ‘Urban and Youth Apathy’ Kumar said that it is taking a number of steps to increase voter turnout in Mumbai and elsewhere.

Mumbai has always struggled with low voter turnout. In the 2019 assembly elections, the city recorded a voter turnout of 50.67 per cent, against the 51.21% in 2014 polls. The overall voter turnout for Maharashtra in 2019 was 61.13%, exactly two percent less than 2014-Assembly elections.