Maharashtra election: Polling booths in Mumbai housing societies a huge hit

MUMBAI: Community halls, club houses and open spaces inside housing societies turned into well-guarded polling stations in many parts of Mumbai on Wednesday, to help improve voter turnout, which is notoriously low in this city.
Doing their bit to aid the democratic process were housing societies, which accommodated two to three polling booths each. They catered to thousands of voters from their respective societies as well as the neighbourhood at large.
Evershine Insat CHS in Thakur Village in Kandivali used their community club to set up polling stations. Chirag Kenia, chairman of this large housing society, said there were at least 650 flat owners with a voter base of 2,000 people from their society itself. The CHS comprises 16 buildings, three of them 20 storeys high. The society ensured that there was no activity around the area where the booths were to be set up. They had also barred parking in the vicinity, during and after the booths had been installed.
Rahul Tangri, chairman of Neptune CHS, said that he and other residents of Thakur Village, comprising 300-odd housing societies, had written to the government, urging it to consider the possibility of setting up polling stations in these residential societies.
Similarly, Dreams Society in Bhandup accommodated three polling booths inside their clubhouse. The society comprises 2,225 flats and around 4,500 voters. Madhurima Deshpande, a member of the society, said, “Our society is always proactive in such initiatives. Having polling booths at our doorstep encourages more residents to step out to vote. Senior citizens, in particular, are pleased with this arrangement.” In the Lok Sabha elections, the society demonstrated its commitment to the democratic process by forming 16 teams, each with five members, to conduct door-to-door campaigns, encouraging residents to vote.
Expressing his appreciation for the new arrangement, Surendra Satam, a 78-year-old voter from Dreams Society, said, “During the last elections, it was extremely hot, and going out to vote was challenging, but I managed. This year, I was very relieved. I hope this facility continues in future elections.”
Sahitya Sahawas at Bandra East’s Kalanagar too had a polling booth, catering to 1,000 registered voters from the society as well as the neighbouring ones. The turnout, by the end of the day, was almost 60% here.
At Malad (West), a housing society converted its community hall into a poll station. “To streamline the process, we created time slots for each residential wing,” said Captain K S Rai, of Palm Court CHS. This society has 18 buildings with around 2,500 voters.