Women to get sanitary pads at poll booths

Mumbai: The Election Commission (EC) has for the first time decided to give sanitary pads to every woman coming to vote at the ‘sakhi matdan kendras’ in suburban Mumbai on April 29, an official said on Wednesday. The “goodwill gesture” is aimed at encouraging more women to come out and exercise their franchise, he said.

The polling booths are entirely managed by women called ‘Sakhimatdan kendras’. It has been set up in all 26 Assembly segments of suburban Mumbai, which consists of three administrative subdivisions — Kurla, Andheri, and Borivali, said an official from Election Commission.

“Each woman voter at these polling booths will be given a pack of sanitary napkins as a goodwill gesture. Besides, arrangement of cold drinks would also be made for both men and women who exercise their franchise at these booths,” he added.  Rangoli and other art forms would be used to make these booths more attractive.

According to additional chief electoral officer Dilip Shinde, as per the EC's directive, this time around 300 polling booths entirely managed by women were set up across all 288 Assembly segments in the state for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. It is an initiative towards gender equality and to involve women’s participation in the electoral process, another official said.