A seemingly minor change, brought about by the Thiruvananthapuram district administration with permission from the State Election Commission, in the distribution system of polling material to polling stations, is expected to be a major relief for hundreds of polling officials in the capital.
The changes, to be effected on a trial basis in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and four municipalities in the capital district for the local body elections, will see ‘decentralisation’ in distribution of polling materials, which were hitherto given out to polling officials from distribution centres at the block-level.
The materials will now be directly delivered to polling stations by sectoral officers and their assistants deputed by the SEC.
Huge relief
The move, an idea floated by District Collector Biju Prabhakar and approved by the SEC, comes as a huge relief to polling officials, who had to report at the distribution centres by 7 a.m. the day before the election, wait the whole day to collect the equipment and then take the same to the polling stations.
Mr. Prabhakar said it was a ‘small innovation,’ which was practical for all polling stations other than those in remote areas.
“We feel this will lessen the hardship of officials and also reduce election expenses since we will require only lesser number of buses on the previous day,” he said.
Transportation
Another change in the procedures in the district was that polling officials, in case they could not reach polling stations on their own, could reach the distribution centre by 10 a.m., from where they would be transported to the stations, this time minus the burden of taking the polling material.
The changes, if found foolproof, could be replicated in the next Assembly elections, Mr. Prabhakar said.
Good response
An announcement of the move on Facebook by Mr. Prabhakar has received an ‘overwhelming’ response, with several persons, experienced in polling duties, calling for replication of the same in polling stations across the State.
Many, in fact, called for the same system for collection of the polled EVMs as well, with sectoral officers to collect the material from the stations after polling.
However, a decision on this was yet to be taken, Mr. Prabhakar said.
Trial in Corporation, 4 municipalities in capital
Change expected to reduce poll expense
