Odisha: All-women booth for each Assembly constituency in Ganjam district
Odisha's Ganjam district will have at least one booth in each Assembly constituency that will be managed only by women during the ensuing elections, officials said today. Considered as "politically sensitive", Ganjam district is home to 13 Assembly constituencies and 3,063 booths, the highest among the state's 30 districts. From presiding officer to first polling officials, only women will be deployed in these booths.
All-women booths to be called 'pink booths'
The all-women booths would be called 'pink booths', an official said. "We are planning to set up at least one pink booth in every Assembly constituency in the forthcoming elections in the district next month," said Ganjam District Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange.
Booths will be set up in urban areas with foolproof-security
The proposed pink booths will be set up only in the urban areas with foolproof security for the convenience of the transportation of the women poll staff, said Additional District Magistrate, Revenue, Laxmikant Sethi. The booths to be designated as 'pink' are yet to be fixed, while the process of finalization of the staff is underway, he said.
78 women workers will be engaged in 13 pink booths
The pink booths will have 6 polling-personnel, including a presiding officer. For 13 pink booths, 78 women-workers would be engaged, said Sethi. Besides, the district administration is planning to have a good number of women on standby in case staff from the official list fails to turn up on election day. Besides pink booths, Sethi said, plans are afoot for setting up model booths.
Model booths will have facilities including drinking water and fans
The model booths, to be set up in each Assembly segment, would have the requisite facilities like drinking water and fans outside the polling stations. They would also be decorated to attract the voters, Sethi said, adding the finer details of model booths are yet to be finalized. Meanwhile, the Gajapati district administration are also planning on these women-manned pink booths.
Planning to make pink booths as model booths: Gajapati Collector
The Gajapati district will have at least two pink booths in Paralakhemundi Assembly segment. "We're also planning to make the pink booths as model booths," said Gajapati Collector Anupam Saha. Gajapati district has two Assembly segments, Paralakhemundi and Mohana, under Berhampur LS segment. The pink-cum-model booths are proposed to be set up in the urban area, where women voters outnumber their male counterparts.
