Women Empowerment! ‘Sakhi’ Polling Booths Manned by All Women Polling Officials
Mangaluru: Talk about Women Empowerment – during the last Assembly election, the election commission had set up 20 pink polling stations with all women staff in Dakshina Kannada district, with five polling stations each in Mangaluru City South, Mangaluru City North and Mangaluru constituencies, and which were declared as pink booths, out of which TWO were exclusively named as MODEL POLLING BOOTHS, with facilities fit for a King? Similarly this year, just like the Pink Booth stations of the 2018 assembly elections, we have “SAKHI” polling stations manned by all women polling officials. And one of the Sakhi polling booth is at the Lady Hill School polling station.
Whether it is “PHIR Ek Baar Modi Sarkar” (Modi Once More) or “Ab Hoga Nyay Congress Rahul Gandhi Sarkar”- voters today were all geared up to vote at 1861 polling booths in Dakshina Kannada, where 17, 24, 460 voters will queue up to vote in four different types of booths. While voters in 1833 booths will exercise their franchise in regular booths, voters in 28 booths will do so either in 20 Sakhi polling booths, five Ethnic style polling booths in tribal ares and the rest in polling stations manned by the differently-abled. With the efforts by DC Sasikanth Senthil, special arrangements at these 28 select booths have been made to give the festival of democracy a distinct feel.
Speaking to media, DC Senthil had said, “The Election Commission is keen to ensure that all sections of society participate in this festival and make it an inclusive process so that no voter is left behind. The Sakhi booths, Ethnic booths and polling stations manned by the differently-abled is to celebrate the diversity among voters. The concerned departments have made arrangements to reflect the spirit of these booths. With respect to booths that the differently-abled are set to man, care has been taken to ensure that such polling officials face the least amount of inconveniences”.
Sakhi booths are located at polling station 109 in Belthangady, 177 in Moodabidri, 6, 39, 61, 70 and 98 of Mangaluru City North; 11, 112, 130, 133 and 143 of Mangaluru city South; 33, 117, 146, 148, and 159 of Mangaluru; 61, of Bantwal, 91 of Puttur; and 90 of Sullia assembly constituencies, respectively. The Ethnic polling stations are located in polling station 163 of Belthangady; 7 of Mangaluru City North; 246 of Bantwal; 106 of Puttur; and 209 of Sullia assembly constituencies. The differently-abled will man polling station 236 in Belthangady; 50 in Mangaluru; and 32 in Puttur assembly constituencies.
105 years old Michael D’souza
Polling station at Lady Hill School saw a a huge turnout in the morning, including religious Apostolic Carmel nuns casting their votes at 7 am- and Sr Mary Beth AC of Lady Hill convent was the FIRST one to exercise her franchise. Team Mangalorean also interacted with Capt Ganesh Karnik, Rationalist Narendra Nayak, and 105 years old Michael D’souza who also exercised their franchise at this polling booth. Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Capt Karnik and Narendra Nayak said that they feel proud to vote, because voting rights is a privilege. “If better arrangements had been made it would have speed up the time, rather than voters staying in the queue for a long time. Hope it will be better next time” said both, Capt Karnik and Nayak.
Michael D’souza, who will be 105 years old coming October said, “Since I had started voting when I was eligible to do so, I have never missed a single polling day. Voting is a right and privilege, which not many people get-so we should make the best use of it. I have made the right choice in casting my vote to the right person who rightly deserves it, so that he can represent me when he is elected. I urge all those who have the voting rights to head on to the polling booths-your vote can bring a change and make a difference. I am glad that I voted this year, but I am not sure whether I will be alive to vote in the next Lok Sabha elections”.
Regarding the arrangements made at the polling booth, few voters were not happy-like Ms Shanthi, a IT employee who had come to Lady Hill polling station before going to work, speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “Not that I am against the seniors who have come here to vote, but I am angry about the arrangements made for them. They should have had a separate polling booth for the seniors, because while we are standing in the queue, every time seniors come, they allow them to go in first to vote- thereby making us still standing in the queue. I have been in the queue for a long time, and I have to be at work at 8.30 am”.
Ring..ring…ring? Talk about the rule set by the Election Commission banning mobile phones while coming to vote. Seem like it was just a rule and not strictly enforced or followed, because there were quite a few voters in the queue whose phones were ringing every now and then- and none of the polling booth officials nor the cops on duty did any thing about it. And the best part was that even the officials in the Sakhi booth were using their mobiles. Seems like “We don’t practice what we preach” kind of deal?
And while yours truly was busy clicking some pictures, few asked me whether I voted, and I replied, “Wish I could vote, but I had already voted for Donald Trump as a US citizen?” PLEASE VOTE! MATHA HAKI! VOTE PADLE!
