As Maharashtra gears up for the upcoming Assembly elections, 75 of the 2,537 polling stations in Mumbai city district will be set up in makeshift pandals due to the lack of permanent buildings, according to district collector Sanjay Yadav. During the recent Lok Sabha elections, 336 polling stations in the city operated from such temporary structures. Speaking to reporters ahead of the November 20 elections, Yadav clarified that pandals would only be used where pucca (permanent) buildings are unavailable. The Mumbai city district, covering the island city area excluding the suburbs, encompasses ten assembly constituencies.
In an effort to reduce voter queues and improve the voting experience, the number of polling stations has been increased through a process of "rationalisation." As part of this adjustment, 156 polling stations have been shifted to high-rise buildings and another 100 to housing societies, Yadav added.
'Know Your Polling Station' drive
According to the Election Commission, there are 25.36 lakh voters in Mumbai city district, and of these, the highest 2.81 lakh voters are in Sion-Koliwada assembly constituency, while the lowest 2.05 lakh voters are registered in Wadala constituency. After the rationalisation of polling stations, officials have undertaken the 'Know Your Polling Station' drive to make voters aware of their designated polling station, Yadav said. They are sending letters to every voter, and 50 percent of voters are already covered, he added.
Voters can find the location of a polling station through Google map or by scanning a QR code, the collector said, adding that the rationalization of polling stations will be successful only when voters know where their polling station is located.
Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024
The term of the Maharashtra Assembly will end on November 26, 2024, and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said Maharashtra will have single-phase voting on 288 seats. The Maharashtra Assembly comprises 288 members who are directly elected from single-seat constituencies, and this year, the election will be a two-way fight between the ruling Mahayuti Alliance of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena-Eknath Shinde and NCP-Ajit Pawar, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition of the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP-Sharad Pawar, and the Congress.
(With PTI inputs)
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