Ludhiana West byelection: Green poll booth at PAU fails to deliver

The idea behind green booths is to use the election platform to promote environmental awareness among voters; but this message seemed to have been lost in execution

The Government Senior Secondary Smart School at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), was tagged as a “green polling station” by the district administration for the Ludhiana West byelection held on Thursday. But what was supposed to be an eco-friendly and awareness-driven initiative turned out to be a letdown for voters.

The idea behind green booths is to use the election platform to promote environmental awareness among voters. (HT Photo)

Unlike the previous Lok Sabha elections in 2024, when green booths were decorated with selfie points, posters promoting sustainability, and saplings were given to voters, this time the designated green booth lacked any such arrangements. Voters said the space looked no different from any regular polling station.

“There were plants, but every school has those,” said a female voter, who preferred to remain anonymous. “There were no selfie points, no banners, no slogans related to the environment. If there’s nothing special, why call it a green booth at all?”

The idea behind green booths is to use the election platform to promote environmental awareness among voters. But this message seemed to have been lost in execution. Several people expressed disappointment, stating they saw nothing at the booth that reflected the so-called green theme.

“It is a meaningful idea, but this booth had absolutely no sign of sustainability. Not even a single poster,” said Umesh Jain, a local voter.

Even the officials posted at the booth seemed unsure about the concept. Booth-level officer Harish Kumar admitted, “I frankly do not know. During the last elections, they had saplings and some other arrangements for first-time voters, but this time we didn’t receive any such instruction, so it is just a regular booth.”

Rupinder Pal Singh, additional deputy commissioner (Urban Development) and the designated returning officer for the bypoll, remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts to contact him.