Tripura to setup 60 all-women polling stations to encourage female voters

At least 60 all-women polling stations would be set up in Tripura during the coming Lok Sabha elections, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sriram Taranikanti said Monday. In an all-woman polling station, all the polling personnel and security forces will be women. Voters, however, would be both male and female in those polling stations, Taranikanti said.

The Election Commission of India has instructed the CEO to set up at least one all-woman polling station in each assembly constituency. "To adhere to the directive of the ECI, we have decided to set up 60 all-women polling stations as Tripura has 60 assembly constituencies," he said.

In Town Bardowali assembly constituency, women voters outnumber men, with the male-female ratio being 100:107.7, the CEO said. The number of woman voters is the least in Rajnagar (SC) assembly seat where the male-female ratio is 100:87.8. Altogether 3324 polling stations would be set up across the state. The CEO said 23 candidates are in the fray for the two parliamentary constituencies West Tripura and East Tripura (ST) where polls will be held on April 11 and 18 respectively.