Polling booths at doorstep for Noida, Gzb gated areas
NOIDA/GHAZIABAD: With an aim to persuade urban voters to step out of their flats and vote this Friday in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Gautam Budh Nagar administration has set up 100 polling booths at over 60 high-rise societies in Noida and Greater Noida.
Gautam Budh Nagar administration officials said that it is a well-known fact that people residing in the urban pockets of Noida are traditionally very reluctant to go out and vote on polling day as compared to their counterparts in rural segments.
Taking into account the dismal polling rates in urban segments in the past two general elections, administration this time has set up 101 booths in 67 high-rise societies officials said, adding that this segment, which is sizable in terms of numbers, holds the key to the fate of candidates in Gautam Budh Nagar Lok Sabha constituency.
According to district officials, voters in 67 gated colonies in Noida and Greater Noida will vote at 101 polling booths set up at their society premises. Noida’s 34 societies will have 52 booths for 51,489 voters while Dadri assembly segment’s 33 societies, which also covers Greater Noida West, will have 49 booths for 39,288 voters. A total of 90,777 voters are registered to vote from polling booths set up at high-rises.
“The polling booths were selected following a survey by the district administration and with the consent of residents. The main aim is to increase voter turnout in urban areas this time,” said Manish Verma, district magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar.
During the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the Gautam Budh Nagar constituency recorded a voter turnout of 60.47%. Of this, the Noida assembly, which is considered the urban segment in the district, recorded a 39.79% turnout.
In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Gautam Budh Nagar saw a turnout of 60.38% of which Noida assembly segment recorded a 42.9% voter turnout, according to Election Commission data.
“Earlier, society residents had to go to government schools in nearby villages and reach there early in the morning to avoid having to stand in long queues in the sweltering heat. But now we have polling booths right at our doorstep,” said Ranjana Bhardwaj, a resident of Supertech Ecovillage-1 society in Greater Noida West.
In neighbouring Ghaziabad, too, high-rise residents will for the first time vote in polling booths set up on their premises.
Voters in ATS Advantage highirise in Ghaziabad’s Indirapuram will vote at their doorstep with the district administration providing two new polling booths in the club house of the society. The district administration officials said overall, 33 such high-rises have been selected to have 53 polling booths to ensure ease of voting to residents.
ATS has about 1,968 flats, mostly occupied, and till the previous elections, residents said they had to go to polling booths in Shipra Sun City, DPS Indirapuram and even as far as Niti Khand.
“There, they had to stand in long queues and senior citizens faced issues in reaching the polling booths. Now, two booths have come up at our clubhouse and residents have taken this positively,” said Yatendra Singh, former residents’ welfare association (RWA) president.
Residents of Express Garden in Indirapuram’s Vaibhav Khand have also got a new polling booth at their high-rise. Earlier, they had to go to DPS Indirapuram to cast their votes.
Abhinav Gopal, Ghaziabad’s chief development officer (CDO), said the administration has come up with 33 new polling centres which will have 58 new polling booths. “This facility is for the ease of voters of high-rises and gated societies. We are trying to encourage more people to vote on April 26,” the CDO said.