18 ‘Pink Polling Stations’ established for female voters: CEO J&K

SRINAGAR — With parliamentary elections for the Srinagar segment scheduled on Monday, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Jammu and Kashmir Pandurang K. Pole on Friday said that they have designated 18 polling booths in Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency as “Pink Polling Stations” for women, entirely managed by the females.

According to the news agency KNO, CEO J&K, said that in order to encourage female voters to cast their votes, they have established some “Pink Polling Stations,” where the entire management will be females.

He said that these specially curated polling stations will be manned exclusively by women, from polling party, polling party agents to security personnel.

He said the move is aimed at ensuring a safe and comfortable environment for female voters. He added that apart from the pink polling stations initiative, they have made other practical measures to facilitate women’s participation with each polling station dedicated to a female helper — an Asha or Anganwadi worker, to assist female voters throughout the electoral process.

Additionally, separate queues and other facilities will be provided to cater specifically to the needs of female voters at all polling stations, he said.

He said that this initiative underscores the commitment of electoral authorities to foster an inclusive and equitable democratic process. By prioritizing the needs and concerns of female voters, the “Pink Polling Booths” seeks to elevate their voices and ensure their active participation in shaping the future of their constituency.

Pole, while speaking about the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), said that any violations reported were promptly addressed through written communication to the concerned candidates and political parties, with stress on the importance of compliance with MCC guidelines to ensure a fair and orderly electoral process.

“Barring a few instances of minor MCC violations, no such major violation has come up that could have resulted in a problem. And if there was anything, we conveyed in writing both to political parties and the candidates,” he said.

Regarding voter turnout percentage, CEO J&K, while refraining from making any predictions, urged people to participate in the electoral process on the upcoming polling dates in Jammu and Kashmir.