68 pink polling booths to boost women voters

New Delhi: With civic polls on December 4, the State Election Commission has deployed several measures to ensure a smooth and safe election for all voters. The commission has deployed 170 companies of paramilitary forces across Delhi, identified 3,356 critical polling stations, and designated 68 pink polling booths as well as 68 model polling stations.

The SEC has set up the 68 pink polling stations across the national Capital to boost women voters, these pink booths will be managed by an all-women staff. As per SEC's data, there are 66,10,858 female voters in Delhi, making for 45.57 per cent of the voter base. The total number of voters is 1,45,05,322 as per the SEC.

Other than having an all female staff, the pink polling stations will also have childcare facilities as per a senior SEC official. These stations will also have ramps and wheelchairs for the persons with disabilities. SEC has set up these polling booths taking cognizance of the safety and comfort of the several female voters. Some of the pink polling booths are in Chandni Chowk, Lado Sarai, Hauz Khas, Seelampur, Mangol Puri and Uttam Nagar.

Similarly, the 68 model polling stations have been set up with attractions such as a selfie point for voters across Delhi. These stations will also have facilities for senior citizens and persons with disabilities such as ramps and wheelchairs with attendants. Medical staff will also be present at the

polling stations. Voters can post their selfies after voting and tag the SEC.

The SEC has also identified 3,356 critical/sensitive polling stations; these stations will have micro-observers. They also plan to webcast at these locations for security reasons. These areas have been identified keeping the safety of citizens in mind. The SEC is hoping all these initiatives help in increasing voter turnout significantly. The voter turnout for MCD polls in 2017 was 53.55 per cent.