Pink and Haritha Polling Booths to Encourage Women and General Voters in NTR District

Vijayawada: Decorated walls adorned with pink fabric material and pink balloons fixed along the entrance would greet voters, especially women, at the Women Model Polling Station No-56 at the Andhra Loyola College in the Vijayawada East constituency, the NTR district, on Monday.

The Election Commission has set up model polling stations styled as ‘Pink Booth’, one in every assembly constituency in the district, where female voters outnumbered male voters.

Creches and separate cabins for lactating women and senior citizens and other basic amenities such as cool drinking water, sun shade for those standing in queues, toilets etc will be provided to the voters. These are apart from a red rose each as a welcome gesture to women casting their votes at these polling stations.

These polling stations will be manned by all-women staff including the presiding officer and assistant presiding officer.

The district’s all-women managed polling stations were set up at Gampalagudem in Tiruvuru, Chitti Nagar in Vijayawada West, the SRR & CVR Government College in Vijayawada Central, Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada East, Gollapudi in Mylavaram, Nandigama ZPHS in Nandigama and Durgapuram in Jaggaiahpet constituencies.

In Krishna district, such polling stations were set up at Unguturu in Gannavaram, Gudivada, Krutjivennu in Pedana, Machilipatnam, Challapalli in Avanigadda, Thotlavalluru in Pamarru and Vuyyuru in Penamaluru constituencies.

“Since, I am a pregnant woman and the weather is harsh these days, it is helpful for women like me to have these facilities at polling booths,” said K Naga Lakshmi, a voter from Vijayawada East constituency.

EC has also set up Haritha polling booths, one each in every constituency in the district. At these centres, provisions like television, newspapers, magazines, air coolers, WiFi and waiting rooms, drinking water etc will be provided to the voters. Besides, a sapling will be gifted to every voter at these polling stations.

In NTR district, Haritha polling stations have been set up at Vissannapeta in Tiruvuru, the Potti Sriramulu Engineering College in Vijayawada West, the railway function hall in Vijayawada Central, Montessori Mahila Degree College in Vijayawada East, Dasula Palem in Mylavaram, Jagannatha Puram in Nandigama and RCM UP School in Jaggaiahpet constituencies.