Booths to be 'exclusively' managed by women, youth, says EC in bid to encourage voters, enhance inclusiveness

CEC Rajiv Kumar announces a number of initiatives to enhance inclusiveness and encourage more voters to participate in the upcoming assembly election in Karnataka

Around 1,320 polling booths across Karnataka will exclusively be managed by women, chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday said while announcing dates for the state's assembly election. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken a number of measures to enhance voting experience and encourage voters to come to the polling stations.

CEC Rajiv Kumar at a press conference while announcing Karnataka election dates. (ANI)

Likewise, around 240 model polling stations will be installed across the state which will have eco-friendly and green booths. To encourage more youth to join the election process, the ECI has decided to recruit young government employees in poling stations.

“The youngest employee appointed in every district will be trained and recruited to manage booths. 224 such booths will be set up which will be managed by only the youngest possible employees of the government,” Kumar said while addressing the press at Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Similarly, Kumar said around 100 booths will be managed completely by persons with disability (PwD). The ECI has stressed on the inclusive and participatory elections and said there has been 100% enrolment of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in Karnataka. Around 40 ‘ethnic booths’ will also be set up for the tribal communities to allow them to participate in the election within their own social milieu.

In a bid to the poll panel's gender sensitive approach, the CEC announced that a total of 41,312 transgender voters have been enrolled out of 42,756. He further pointed out that there are few who do not want to mark themselves as ‘transgender’ in the electoral role. “We will include them in whatever form or sensitivity they want to mark themselves,” Kumar added.