Election officials are exploring the possibility of arranging childcare facilities in selected polling station locations in the State to help voters arriving with children for the April 26 Lok Sabha polls.
Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Sanjay Kaul said the plan is to have creches at polling station locations that have more than four booths. “The facility will be provided depending on the availability of space. We are assessing all such locations,” Mr. Kaul told The Hindu.
The initiative is part of the voter-friendly measures proposed to ensure a hassle-free election experience for parents. It is also meant to make sure that long queues at the booths do not deter voters, especially women who arrive with children to exercise their franchise.
In Kerala, election officials are targeting a voter turnout of not less than 80% on April 26. The 2019 edition of the Lok Sabha elections recorded a turnout of 77.67% in Kerala, and the 2021 elections to the State Assembly, 74.06%.
The Election Commission of India has declared that the issue of ‘urban and youth apathy’ in elections will be given special attention this time. Calling for a targeted intervention in this regard, the Commission had directed State-level election officers to focus on district-wise polling stations for reaching out to sections like women, persons with disability (PwD) and transgender voters.
In Kerala, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer has announced that women, PwD and youth-friendly booths will be specially arranged as part of this effort.
“By adopting a targeted approach at the grassroots level, the turnout implementation plan (TIP) aims at amplifying democratic participation and ensure that every eligible voter exercises their right to vote,” the Election Commission has noted.
As per the latest available data on the electoral rolls, women constitute a little over 1.40 crore of the 2.72 crore voters in Kerala.
