Chandigarh polling booths to have unique features

Tribune News Service

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, April 18

To add flavour to voting, the UT Election Department has decided to establish, at least, 78 polling booths with unique features during the polling here on June 1.

To ensure a maximum of participation in voting, Vinay Pratap Singh, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer, said as many as 58 model polling booths would be set up across the city where the footfall of voters would be high. With the introduction of these booths, people would not have to stand in long queues waiting for their turn to cast vote. These booths would have waiting rooms so that instead of waiting in a queue, voters could sit in these rooms. These rooms will have various facilities such as wheelchairs for differently abled voters, drinking water, air-coolers, etc, he added.

Polling: June 1

Voters: 6,47,291

Booths: 614

In another move, the department will set up five polling booths to be entirely managed by differently abled people. These specially designated booths would be located in areas with previous history of low voter turnout. “These five booths will be dedicatedly managed by differently abled people to empower them. Each booth will have four or five employees, including the presiding officer,” he said.

In the city, there are around 4,800 voters with disabilities and special arrangements will be made at all polling booths to ensure they do not face any inconvenience, he added. All polling booths will have wheelchairs, ramps and arrangements for separate queues.

Besides, the department has planned to establish five polling booths to be managed by young employees under the age of 30 to encourage youth engagement and first-time voter participation.

He said the department would also set up five “pink booths”, exclusively to be managed by all-woman teams with the aim of providing a secure and comfortable environment to woman voters.

Waiting rooms for voters

• Waiting rooms for voters will be set up
• Five polling booths to be entirely managed by differently abled people
• Young employees under the age of 30 to manage five booths
• “Pink booths” where all-woman teams will be deputed

Physically challenged, elderly can vote from home

For the first time, differently abled individuals, along with senior citizens aged above 85, will have the option to vote from home via postal ballots.

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