Trying to trim down on long queues and also making the voting process easier, Election Commission of India (ECI) has declared that the number of polling stations in 12 states and union territories (UTs) where the conduct of the next special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will happen would significantly increase. The change is intended to make the process of polling smoother and more accessible to voters, authorities claimed.
After the development of SIR, such states as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal will also experience the extension of the polling infrastructure. Bihar, which has already done the voter list revision has broken the way and become the first state in the country to limit the number of electors in a polling station to 1,200 electors as opposed to 1,500 electors. Consequently, the total polling stations in Bihar increased to 90, 712 out of 77,895 as a result of this move, which is what the other states are likely to replicate.
The ECI has instructed the chief electoral officers to enable the new polling points to be set up in the high-rise residential complexes, slum clusters, and colonies having resident welfare associations (RWAs). This is done to ensure that the polling points are easily accessible such that no voter will need to go over a distance of 2 km to vote.
The district election officers as well have been directed to consult with political parties during the preparation of new polling locations. The Commission also stressed that all the family members were to be placed in the same polling station to eliminate logistical inconvenience.
The Commission had already established polling stations in high-rise societies and residential colonies in previous elections, which were said to increase voter turnout. The current rationalisation initiative is today seeking to add to that victory, and make the process of voting in India more inclusive, efficient, and voter-friendly.
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