E-Paper
Bihar elections to witness big participation of women polling personnel
This is the first time that such a big number of women personnel are being engaged in election duty in Bihar following the increase in the number of booths in view of the Covid-19 safety guidelines.
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A record 2.03 lakh women employees of the Bihar government have been enlisted in the database prepared by the Election Commission and the office of Chief Electoral Officer of the state for the upcoming assembly elections.
This is the first time that such a big number of women personnel are being engaged in election duty following the increase in the number of booths in view of the Covid-19 safety guidelines and requirement of additional manpower for polling stations as well as other field duties.
The total number of polling stations is 1.06 lakh with creation of additional 33,797 auxiliary booths apart from 72,727 booths.
A total of 6.58 lakh polling personnel have been enlisted for election duty of which 4.55 lakh are male and 2.03 female. Sources said the process for assigning poll related works to the polling personnel will start once the election schedule is announced possibly by mid-September.
Additional Chief Electoral officer, Bihar, Ranjita said women polling personnel would be engaged in election work in large numbers given the rise in number of booths.
“Women polling personnel would be deployed at the booths and also assigned other roles as per their rank and seniority. So far 2.03 lakh women personnel have been enlisted for poll duty from different districts,” the additional CEO said.
Sources said the women polling officers would be deployed as presiding officers, polling officers, magistrates and even micro observers depending on their rank and seniority. “The modalities are being worked out,” said another EC officer.
In the last few elections, the EC has been promoting all-women managed booths to encourage the participation of women voters but the number of such booths was limited. In the 2015 election, the polling percentage of women voters was higher than the male voters. Statistics show that female voters who voted numbered 1,89,14,687 out of a total 3,12,72,523 female electors, which was 60.48%.
The number of males who voted stood at 1,90,78,453 out of 3,57,82,181 total number of 3,57,82,181, which was 53.32% in terms of polling percentage. The overall polling percentage in the 2015 election was 56.66% in Bihar.
In the 2019 parliamentary polls, 59.58 % of women voted while the percentage of male voters was 57.33%.
Meanwhile, the CEO’s office has directed all the district magistrates-cum-district election officers to carry special drives for enrolment of returnee migrant labourers who are not in the electoral rolls so that they can exercise their franchise in the coming assembly polls.
CEO, Bihar H R Srinivasa directed the DMs to prioritize the work apart from enrolment of all eligible voters in updated electoral rolls.
“The exercise of enrolling migrant labourers having returned to Bihar during lockdown has been going on and all districts have been asked to carry special drives for enrolment of all those returnees, who do have their names in the electoral rolls,” said the additional CEO.
An estimated 25 lakh migrant labourers returned to Bihar during the lockdown period in April and May.
