Hyderabad: Women polling booths manned by men

Hyderabad: Going against a commitment given by the Election Commission of India (ECI), special polling stations set up exclusively by women were overseen by male officers.

This deviation was noticed at Sri Krishna High School in Nimboliadda, a community hall in Rahmathbagh near Chappal Bazaar, Sharadanagar Welfare Association Community Hall in Amberpet, and AA Techno School (Al-Ameen Minority) School at Qadribagh which were set up for women voters.

"I didn't know that this was supposed to be an all-women-managed polling station. It would have been nice to see how it panned out had there been no male officers present," said Phaneender Rao, a voter from Rahamathbagh.

Sangeeta Rao, another voter, added that it was "fun way to do things but serves no real purpose, except garner attention or curiosity."

The Sharadanagar Welfare Association Community Hall booth in Amberpet also saw the presence of male officers. Despite deviations from the planned set-up, some voters claimed that the presence of male officers did not impact their voting experience. "I was initially surprised, but the officers were professional, and it didn't affect the voting process. So I guess it's okay," said V Sangeeta, a voter at AA Techno School in Qadribagh.

One of the male officers on duty at the Sri Krishna High School polling station said that they were deployed and were doing their job and that male or female presence wouldn't have disrupted the process.