Maharashtra Assembly polls: All polling booths are on the ground level

This picture has been used for representational purposes

As per the demand from the voters, the polls will be held on the ground floor of all the polling booths in the city and suburbs. The state assembly polls are scheduled on Monday and all 2398 booths in the city and 7397 booths in the suburbs will be held on the ground floor of the buildings enlisted at polling booths.

The Election Commission has decided to ask the local authorities to provide facilities to arrange all the polling booths at the ground floor. It is difficult to adjust all the booths on the same level considering the huge number of voters in coming to cast their votes. In south Mumbai itself, there were more than 700 out of two thousand booths were on either first or the second floor during Loksabha elections. Though the officials were trying hard they were not getting enough numbers of ground floor rooms where the polling booth can be arranged. "But now we manage all the booths on the ground level," said a public relations officer.

In suburbs, all the 7397 booths in 26 assembly constitutions are on the ground level. The district election office managed some booths in temporary shelters in grounds of school or public spaces and display board on the outside. "It will help senior citizen, differently-abled, sick persons and pregnant women also. We also appointed volunteers to help them," said Milind Borikar, district election officer and collector of Mumbai suburbs. There is also a help centre in every polling centre to help voters.

A senior elections official said that the move the polling booths to ground floor has pertained to Mumbai only.

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