Kathua gets 117 Model Polling Stations

To make voting a pleasant experience, 117 model polling stations have been established in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district by the Election Commission of India.
The district having 625 Polling Stations with 4.25 lakh voters in five Assembly segments is going to polls on 20 December 20 in five-phased elections.
"As many as 117 model polling stations have been established in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district by EC to make voting a pleasant experience", District Electoral Officer (DEO), Kathua, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said today.
In more than three-month-long plan for establishment of model polling stations (MPS), 16 types of services and facilities have been made available at these polling stations. There will be no queues and instead token would be given to voters as per their serial numbers on arrival, he added.

These polling station will have a red-carpet welcome, decorated tents, seating arrangements, new furniture, face lifted buildings, voter facilitation counters, signage, drinking water bottles, light refreshment, first aid center, live entertainment, help desk, special facilities for differently-abled and aged voters among other services.
"Each MPS has been given television set with DTH dish connection for voters' entertainment and more than 11 cultural troupes will be performing live for entertaining voters", he said.

District Kathua having five Assembly constituencies of Basohli, Bani, Billawar, Hiranagar and Kathua with 160 sensitive and 27 hypersensitive polling stations in 2014 elections recorded 71 percent turnout in 2014 Lok Sabha elections and administration has set target of 90 per cent participation in Assembly elections, the DEO said.

More than 25,000 voters were enrolled in the recently- concluded special summary revision and another 6,000 during the ongoing continuous updating, he said.
Another significant measure is declaring all 625 polling stations as 'No Women Queue' polling stations.
The women voters will not have to stand in the queue and instead a team of three volunteers deputed at each polling station will offer them seat and provide a token indicating their serial number and assist them on their turn to enter the voting compartment.
"This move is aimed at encouraging more than 2 lakh women voters of district", he added.

Choudhary said that more than 115-odd activities of electoral awareness and facilitated participation are active in the district under 39 different campaigns targeting particular groups and hoped that turnout will see a rise.