THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the state is set for the assembly polls on May 16, as many as 250 all women-managed polling booths are planned to be ensured across the state. This would be the first time in the history of Kerala elections that all-women managed polling booths are planned, Election Commission (EC) officials told TOI.
The exact number of such all-women managed polling booths across the state is yet to be finalised, the officials said.
“These women-managed polling booths will have all the women polling officials and it will be model polling stations with all facilities such as ramps for the physically challenged voters, drinking water facility, washroom, electricity and other amenities,” additional
chief electoral officer
Sabu Paul Sebastian told TOI.
In the state capital alone, there will be 32 such women-managed polling booths which will be exclusively managed by women polling officers and women security staff, district collector and district electoral officer Biju Prabhakar told TOI. He also indicated that such booths will be
model polling booths
with proper illumination, First Aid kit, ramps for the differently-abled, drinking water facility and proper toilets. Currently, there are about 70 model polling booths in the state capital at the rate of five booths in each of the 14 constituencies.
Of the 21,000 polling booths across the state, there are about 800 model polling stations.
Now, the state chief electoral officer EK Majhi also plans to increase the number of model polling booths across the state by augmenting the facilities in as many polling booths as possible, the EC officials said. In addition to these, at least one polling booth in each area will be women-friendly with separate toilets, drinking water facility and rest room for lactating mothers, the officials said.