Decked with flowers & dupattas, model booths surprise electorate
Avneet Kaur
Jalandhar, July 10
Amid hot and humid weather, voters found some respite at model polling booths and a special pink booth set up in the Jalandhar West area today.
These booths offered an array of amenities such as drinking water, chabeel, wheelchairs for disabled or elderly voters and medical kits. Additionally, these booths were beautifully decorated with dupattas, artificial flowers, rangolis and mats, creating a pleasant atmosphere for voters.
As many as 181 polling booths were set up in Jalandhar West. Of these, 11 were designated as model polling booths. These included Layalpur Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Nakodar Road; Government Senior Secondary School (Girls), Bhargo Camp; Government Girls Elementary School, Basti Sheikh; Tagore International School, Arya Kanya Senior Secondary School, Basti Nau; Devi Sahai SD Senior Secondary School, Basti Nau; Swami Sant Dass Public School, JP Nagar; St Soldier Divine Public School, Mithu Basti; Mata Gujri Khalsa Modern School; and Arya Senior Secondary School, Basti Guzan. A special pink booth was set up at Mintgumri Guru Nanak Public School, Adarsh Nagar.
These model booths featured improved queue management, volunteer assistance and priority voting for persons with disabilities, senior citizens and pregnant and lactating mothers. The pink booth at Mintgumri Guru Nanak Public School was entirely managed by an all-women team, including polling staff and security personnel.
A booth-level officer at Jalandhar West, which hosted three polling stations, including one model booth, said: “We decorated the model booth with dupattas and artificial flowers. Mats were laid from the main entrance to the polling room to enhance the voter experience.”
Voters were greeted with saplings at several polling booths. This initiative aimed at promoting “Green Jalandhar”. It received enthusiastic participation from the electorate.
Surinder Kaur, a booth-level officer (BLO) at Booth No. 84 in Basti Danishmanda, said: “Saplings were provided by the administration at almost every booth. Voters were eager to take saplings and promised to plant these at their houses or nearby areas.”
Voter feedback was also overwhelmingly positive. Parveen Ahuja, a senior citizen, said: “Voting at the model booth in Basti Nau was a good experience. Volunteers were available to assist elders and the staff managed the proceedings efficiently.”
He urged the administration to ensure such facilities are available at all polling stations to enhance voter experience and encourage higher voter turnout.
Kamlesh Kaur, another voter, appreciated the provision for cold water and seating arrangements. “The administration and the polling staff did a commendable job,” she said.
Mats laid from entrance to polling room
A booth-level officer at Jalandhar West, which hosted three polling stations, including one model booth, said: “We decorated the model booth with dupattas and artificial flowers. Mats were laid from the main entrance to the polling room to enhance the voter experience.”
Police chief checks polling stations
Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma inspected naka points and some polling stations here on Wednesday. He instructed the police personnel to ensure optimal security during the elections.
Voters express disappointment
Nearly one-third of the voters voiced disappointment over the lack of development in the constituency over the years. Long-pending issues such as water supply, poor roads and sewerage system remain unresolved, they said. Surjit Singh, a voter, attributed the low turnout to widespread frustration with the functioning of political parties. He noted that the frequent switching of party allegiances had become a norm, further eroding trust and diverting attention away from residents’ needs.
