Ensure No Inconvenience to Voters – District Collector Sanjay YadavReview of Facilities at Polling Stations

Mumbai : The district administration is implementing the guidelines of the Election Commission of India for the upcoming Assembly General Elections in Mumbai City District. Under this, it is mandatory to provide all basic facilities at all polling stations in the district. District Collector and Additional District Election Officer Sanjay Yadav personally visited the polling stations in Mumbai City District to review the facilities there and interacted with all election-related officials.

Also present during this visit were Sub-Divisional Officer and Sub-Divisional Election Officer Shyamsundar Surwase, along with other relevant officials.

District Collector Mr. Yadav stated that the Election Commission of India has directed that each polling station must be equipped with drinking water, waste bins, toilets, wheelchairs for the disabled, ramps, and seating arrangements such as chairs or benches for voters in case of long queues. If the polling station is in an open area, a canopy should be erected, and fans must be provided, all in line with planning for minimum necessary facilities. All required maintenance and repairs should be carried out. Signboards displaying the available facilities, polling station number, and directions should be prominently placed at the polling station. He also emphasized strict adherence to all instructions from the Election Commission.

For senior citizens aged 85 and above, as well as disabled voters, the Election Commission has prescribed procedures to ensure they can exercise their right to vote during the election. In these Assembly General Elections, no voter should be deprived of their rights; thus, voters aged 85 and above and disabled voters will be allowed to vote from home. He instructed that the sample form 12-D should be made available immediately for home voting.

To facilitate every registered voter in voting smoothly, voter slips should be distributed, and citizens should be informed about polling stations. For voters who cannot be contacted, communication should be made via telephone, SMS, or WhatsApp to provide information about the polling station. Measures should be taken to ensure that no voter faces inconvenience. District Collector Mr. Yadav issued these instructions during the meeting.

During his visits to various polling stations in Mumbai City District, District Collector Mr. Yadav interacted with citizens, asking if they had received their voter slips and where their polling stations were located. Many voters shared their experiences from polling day with him, after which he provided necessary instructions to the relevant officials on-site. He also urged the nodal officers at all polling stations to conduct voter awareness programs through various means to increase voter turnout.

Throughout the day, the District Collector visited polling stations in the Assembly constituencies of Colaba, Malabar Hill, Mumbai Devi, Worli, Shivadi, and Byculla.

Implement a Pledge Campaign by Students to Encourage Parents to Vote

To increase voter turnout, students should fill out pledge forms that include information about their polling stations. The program “Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation” (SVEEP) should be implemented to strengthen democracy and increase voter turnout. District Collector Mr. Yadav also emphasized the need for school students to encourage their parents to vote by filling out these pledge forms.