In a bid to address growing urban apathy towards elections, the district election officials are planning to roll out the red carpet, provide air-conditioning, train their staff to be extra courteous and even offer buttermilk to voters in five polling stations in the city.
These ‘model polling stations’ will be in Kolathur, Nungambakkam, Guindy and Adyar.
“The model polling stations are being commissioned in response to urban apathy. A number of neighbourhoods in the city had recorded low turnout because of urban apathy and disenchantment among voters,” said an official of the Chennai District Election Office.
The district election office will spend Rs. 60,000 for each of the model polling stations.
The Chennai North Lok Sabha constituency will have one model polling station at Corporation Gym, Anjugam Nagar, Fourth Street, Kolathur. The Chennai Central constituency will have two model polling stations at 1, Lake Area, Fourth Cross Street, Nungambakkam.
Chennai South will have two model polling stations at College of Engineering Guindy and Chennai Higher Secondary School, 92/76, Pappanchavady, Kamaraj Avenue, Adyar.
Model polling stations were first set up in nine districts in Delhi ahead of the Assembly polls last year. There are plans to scale up the number of such polling stations in future elections. The polling stations will also have first-aid and medical facilities.
