Empowering the women voters in Chandigarh, Election Commission has for the first time planned to set up a ‘Sakhi Matdan Kendra’ to provide all possible facilities to the women voters. The Haryana Chief Electoral officer, Rajeev Ranjan on Tuesday said that the state will have theses polling booths where women will not only vote but will also be responsible for carrying out the polling process.
The Haryana Electoral Officer said that the Kendras will be run by women and no male personnel will be allowed in these booths. He said that these polling booths are set up to increase the voting percentage by women in the upcoming Lok Sabha Election.
The officer said that several programmes are being conducted to spread awareness of the importance of voting for women. He said that “Under the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral participation Programme (SVEEP), various Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Anganwadi workers are trying to spread the awareness regarding voters.” He added that the state is organizing programmes based on women that have rangoli and mehndi as a medium of spreading the message to the women to go and vote.
The officer said that exclusive facilities shall be provided to encourage the women voters. The commission will provide transport facility for the differently-abled women voters. Separate toilets will be arranged in every polling booth. A ramp will be constructed so that the women can exercise their votes without any fear.
The officer also said that there will be a separate queue for women in each polling center in the state. Priority will be given to pregnant women and women close to delivery. Women who have a child less than three years of age will be allowed to cast their vote first. In the polling centers where the number of women is more than 15, after every two male voters, one woman would be sent to vote so that women do not have to stand in the queue in heat.
Haryana will go to polls on May 12. The results for the 17th Lok Sabha elections will be announced on May 23.
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