Kids’ parks at polling booths ease out mothers

Neha Saini/Charanjit Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 19

The model polling booths, set up across the city, surprised young mothers, who came with their kids to cast their votes. Specially designed kid parks or nursery with designated volunteers to take care of the kids were a respite and welcom step.

BBKDAV College that was a model booth, designed a kids park, with swings and toys to keep the kids busy while their parents performed their electoral duty. Even in rural centre, including Naushera village, a nursery was designated inside Government Middle School with the staff volunteering as caretakers for kids.

“It’s a wise step as casting your vote can be a lengthy process due to the long queues. It became easy for us to leave the kids to playing under the watch of the volunteers to make things easier,” said Anu, a young mother of two-year-old kid, who came to cast her vote at BBKDAV College. The college had designated NCC cadets to take care of the kids at the kids Park.

The gesture was to encourage women to come out and vote bringing their kids along as most often miss out on voting, staying back home to take care of them. Along with the kids park, the model poll booths offered services like food and beverages for voters, wheelchairs and ramps for better accessibility for PWD voters and senior citizens. BBKDAV College had constructed ramps and equipped washroom facilities to facilitate PWD voters. They had also designed a special selfie corner for first time voters to show off their appreciation certificates as acknowledgement after voting.

Meanwhile, pink polling booths too were hailed. The administration had constituted 11 booths, one each in the Assembly constituencies. Such booths were decorated with pink balloons, pink canopies and pink table covers. The poll staff was also dressed in pink attires at some of the pink booths. A photo frame was also installed to click picture with the pink booth.

Advocate Gitanjali Sharma said, “The women should come forward as it is not the time to sit home. Women are now equally participating everywhere and they should also step into political activism. The effort of government is appreciable and women should also support it.”

Rajni, a voter at a pink booth in Khalsa College, Ranjit Avenue, said, “The women-managed polling station is an exhibition of woman empowerment. It was great experience for me”.

“It is very good initiative to encourage the women to cast their votes,” added another voter.