Pink, green, model booths only in name, voters in dismay

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, June 1

There was much fanfare about polling booths such as ‘green’ booths’, pink booths and model polling booths but many of these remain only in name and fail to live upto the expectations of voters. The Tribune team visited one of each unique polling booths today.

As announced, the idea of green pooling booths was to give saplings to first-timers, elderly, differently abled, pregnant women, other special voters and those who come early.

Eighteen green polling booths were set up and not all were equipped with saplings to be given to the selected voters.

Government Senior Secondary Smart School, Punjab Agricultural University, is located amid the green environs but the visit to the booth in the morning around 9 am revealed that even staff on duty was not aware about the concept of green polling booth. There were no saplings at the booth that were supposed to be given to the voters.

“What to talk about saplings, there is not even water for the staff and voters. The staff themselves were making arrangements for water,” said one of the officials on duty.

A separate booth was set up for the elderly but it was lying empty and no siting arrangement was made as there were no chairs or fans.

An elderly woman was seen searching for water but could not find it. “I forgot to bring my water bottle.There was no arrangement of water. I was disappointed to see the same as a lot of announcements were made about hydrating stations at polling booths,” she said.

A visit to a women booth at Lodhi Club, it was observed that there was all women staff and it was exclusively managed by the women team. The entire staff, including polling officials, police and security personnel, were women. There were nine women polling booths in Ludhiana.

Besides, there was nothing specifically pink as compared to the last Vidhan Sabha elections, when the concept of pink booths emerged.

In 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections, the entire booth had a colour theme wrapped around pink with pink walls, table covers and balloons.

Visiting one of the model pooling booths at DAV Public School, nothing special was found here contrary to the booths at some other districts where delicacies and cold drinks were arranged for those who came to cast their vote. Mehandi, nail art, handloom and art stalls were also set up at at some of the model pooling booths in other districts and voters were welcomed on the beats of traditional folk dance, giddha and bhangra.