Women-led sangwari booths promote inclusive voting in C'garh

RAIPUR: To ensure a comfortable, and secure environment for the women voters within the state, more than 500 polling centers named

Sangwari

booths have been created which will be completely managed by the female polling workers for the second and third phase polling. This arrangement aims to encourage greater participation of women in the electoral process by providing them with a safe and supportive space to cast their votes.

Additionally, having female staff at these booths can help address any gender-specific concerns or issues that female voters may have, thus promoting inclusivity and gender equality in the electoral process.
With the Lok Sabha

's first phase that took place on April 19, the region was marked by tight security personnel after a clash between the force and Naxalites resulting in the killing of the 29 insurgents just a day before the campaign concluded.

In addition to the Sangwari booths in the state, centers named Youth Polling Stations for young voters and Divyang Polling Stations for differently-abled individuals have also been established. These centers will be primarily managed by youths, with some assistance provided for differently-abled individuals. Additionally, centers named Adarsh Polling Booths have been set up to assist voters to ensure they do not encounter any issues, said the officials of the Election Commission.
In the first phase of the polling, a total of 191 Sangwari polling booths were managed by women. The majority, 125 booths, were established in the Bastar region. Additionally, Sukma, a tribal-dominated area, had 26 Sangwari booths, while Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, and Bijapur each created 10 women-managed booths in their respective districts.

Furthermore, there were 42 Adarsh polling booths for the first phase of the

Lok Sabha elections

. Among these, 15 booths were located in the Bastar region, with seven in Dantewada. Five Adarsh booths were established in Kondagaon, Sukma, Narayanpur, and Bijapur districts, respectively.
Additionally, there were 36 Youth polling booths, with the highest number situated in the Bastar region. Dantewada had six booths, while Kondagaon, Narayanpur, and Bijapur each had five.

Moreover, there were eight Divyang polling booth centers, with three primarily located in the Bastar region. The districts of Kondagaon, Sukma, Narayanpur, Dantewada, and Bijapur each had one center dedicated to assisting differently-abled persons.
For the second phase of the polling, there will be a total of 330 operational Sangwari polling booths. The maximum number of 157 women polling centers will be formed in the Mahasamund district, 93 centers are located in the Rajnandgaon and 80 in the Kanker district.
Additionally, there will be 120 Adarsh polling booths, with Kanker to have the most 45 centers, followed by Mahasamund with 40 and Rajnandgaon with 35.
Furthermore, 117 Youth polling centers will be established, with Mahasamund and Kanker each having 40 centers, and Rajnandgaon having 37. These centers aim to encourage young voters to participate in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, there will be a total of 25 Divyang polling stations for the second phase. Under this, a total of nine voting centers will be located in the Rajnandgaon area, while eight each will be situated in the Mahasamund and Kanker districts, the official further added.