Jorhat, March 12: The Election Commission has asked Assam to try to have one polling station in a constituency with women polling and security personnel.
It will be for the first time in Assam that polling stations, manned only by women officials, will be set up as such initiatives have been carried out in some other states in recent years.
Official sources said a few days back during a video conference between deputy election commissioner Sandeep Saxena and all deputy commissioners and election officers of the districts and top state poll officials, Saxena asked the DCs to try to set up at least one polling station with such provision.
Sources said the deputy election commissioner also told them to try if possible to have a polling station exclusively for female voters, if two polling stations are to be set up within a village having a large number of voters.
Saxena said separate polling stations for female voters in areas has been mooted "where women feel inhibited in mingling with male members because of some local custom or social practice".
In polling stations provided exclusively for women voters, polling personnel should also normally be women, he said.
Sources said in Assam the districts will try to set up one polling station in an Assembly constituency to be manned by women officials only, but it will be for both and male and female voters, as to prepare a separate list of women voters will not be possible now.
Additional chief electoral officer (Assam) Nitin Khade told The Telegraph from Guwahati today that the poll panel's directive would be tried as an experiment.
"Basically the idea is along the lines of all-women staff in banks, police stations, crew in some public transport, to encourage women voter participation," Khade said.
He said the districts have been told to identify such polling stations in safe, preferably urban, areas.
The state additional CEO said safety and security aspects of the women personnel will be taken into full consideration in the process.
A polling station is run by a presiding officer supported by two poling officers, but in Assembly seats where voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) will be available there will be one more polling official.
In Assam, 10 Assembly constituencies will have VVPAT provision.
Khade said according to the Election Commission's guidelines, there should be at least two model polling stations in a constituency having all the basic minimum facilities like power supply, drinking water, separate toilets (for male and female), resting shed, ramp for the physically challenged voters and a standard voting compartment. He said a model station could be selected with all-woman poll officials.
Another issue is providing accommodation as poll officials are handed over the EVMs and other documents a day earlier and they make makeshift arrangements to spend the night at the centres, which are generally schools.
He said in this case it has to be seen whether there was a government bungalow or guesthouse nearby for accommodation where adequate security arrangement have to be made.
He said in the coming days the picture would be clear on whether each constituency would be able implement the idea.
Jorhat deputy commissioner Solanki Vishal Vasant said district election officer Bidit Das was working on the initiative.
"We will select such centres in urban areas and make arrangements to accommodate the women's teams in the circuit house or any other suitable government building with proper security cover," Das said.
