Anganwadi workers help kids maintain good humour

Kochi: At Govt LP School in Elamkunnapuzha, Seenu, a two-year-old, was having a ball of a time as her mother went to vote. She and other kids who came along with the parents to vote were welcomed by anganwadi workers who had arranged child-friendly spaces in polling booths to ensure maximum polling. At many polling booths, the officials, mostly anganwadi staff, were seen rushing to the parents to take temporary custody of the children. Anitha K G, who was on duty at St Mary's LP School in Murukkumpadam, was quick to grab a child as soon as a voter entered the compound carrying the child. "Nearly half a dozen children came to the booth by late morning. Since we deal with children daily at anganwadis, we could handle them easily. Only a few small kids were hesitant to come. We had toys, puzzles and even a small bed arranged next to the polling area to keep the children occupied," Anitha said.Yamuna K S, another Anganwadi staff member, said that the older kids usually take care of themselves. "Since most polling booths are at schools, the younger kids gather on their own and play with the swings and the merry-go-rounds. We just keep a watch. We had also stocked toys and puzzles good enough for the older children as well," said Yamuna.Student Police Cadets were deployed in all polling stations as well. The cadets actively guided voters, especially the elderly voters. The young cadets were making sure that the voters knew how the voting machine works by showing a dummy machine and encouraging them to take a look at the list of candidates published outside the booth.Considering the hot weather, Kudumbashree workers were also active in many polling booths, serving buttermilk. However, the mobile pouch system to collect phones for safekeeping as the voters entered the station created confusion. In many polling booths, voters were seen returning after forgetting to recollect the phones.