All Polling Booths In Puducherry's Mahe To Be Staffed By Women Officers Only

As India gears up for the biggest festival of democracy, Puducherry's Mahe district will set a unique example of a gender-inclusive electoral process. All 31 polling stations in the district will be staffed by women polling officers. Votes will be polled on April 19, the first of the seven phases of the election process.

"Women at the forefront of Democracy: All 31 Polling Stations of Mahe district in Puducherry will be staffed by Women Polling Officials in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024," the Election Commission of India said in an Instagram post.

Officials said 140 women poll workers will carry out the election process in the district.

Additionally, four teams of women poll workers conducted home voting for persons with disability who opted for the facility.

Mahe is one of Puducherry's four regions. With an electorate of 31,038, the district stands out as one of the most gender-inclusive areas within Puducherry. 

"From voter registration drives to polling station management, the Election Commission of India has made concerted efforts to ensure women are included at every step. Now more than ever, the increasing women's participation in elections as electors and election managers reflects ECI's commitment towards gender inclusive elections and women's empowerment," an official statement said.

In a first. all the polling booths in the Raipur North assembly constituency were staffed and managed fully by women officials during the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections in 2023.

To achieve this feat - a first for any assembly constituency in the country, 1,046 women were deployed in 201 polling booths in the constituency.

These all-women booths not only provided a sense of comfort and security to all voters but also set a unique precedent.