Sambalpur: Special ‘Sakhi Polling Booths’ to Attract Women Voters in Sambalpur

There will be special facilities made at 65 polling booths in Sambalpur to encourage women to vote.

Sambalpur: The Election Commission has introduced ‘Sakhi Polling Booths’ as a special initiative to attract more women voters. This year, the Commission has planned to increase the number of these booths across the country. In Sambalpur, there is a proposal to set up 65 Sakhi polling booths during the upcoming elections.

Out of the 4 assembly constituencies in Sambalpur, the plan is to have a maximum of 28 Sakhi polling booths in the Sambalpur constituency, 15 booths each in the Rengali and Redhakhol constituencies, and 7 booths in the Kuchinda constituency.

The Sakhi polling booths will be exclusively managed by women – from the polling staff to the security personnel. These booths will be set up in areas where the number of women voters is relatively low. The booth centers will be decorated with blue, white, and purple balloons and flowers to create a welcoming environment.

The women staff deployed at these booths will have the freedom to wear traditional dresses or sarees of their choice. They will be encouraged to wear handloom sarees and drapes from Odisha.

Apart from the Sakhi polling booths, there will be 948 general polling stations in the 4 constituencies of Sambalpur this year. The distribution of these general booths will be as follows: 272 in Kuchinda, 235 in Rengali, 189 in Sambalpur, and 252 in Redhakhol.

Additionally, each constituency will have a separate polling station dedicated to differently-abled voters, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity.