Polling staff leave, lock, stock and barrel

Tribune News Service

Amritsar/Tarn Taran, May 18

The polling staff for all 1,601 booths in the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency and 878 polling stations in Tarn Taran left for their respective stations after getting electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system and other election-related material on Saturday.

District Electoral Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Shivdular Singh said 110 model polling station and 11 pink polling booths had been set up in the constituency. As many as 517 booths have been marked sensitive while two booths are very sensitive.

He said 10 model booths each in the 11 Assembly segments of the constituency had been constituted. The model booths will have drinking water, seating arrangements, fans and other facilities. “The purpose is to encourage people to cast their vote. Many times people are wary of standing in queues. The model booths have been set up to provide comfort to voters,” he said.

The voting process would begin at 7 am and continue till 6 pm. The DC said everyone should participate in the festival of democracy and must cast their vote without any fear or prejudice.

In Tarn Taran district, the polling stations situated at SD High School, Tarn Taran; Government Elementary School, Paragpur, Khemkaran; Government Girls Secondary School, Patti; and Government Secondary School, Khadoor Sahib; have been reserved for women where only women staff have been deputed.

The administration has arranged buses to ferry staff to the polling stations and then back after the conclusion of the voting process.