NEW DELHI: In preparation for the upcoming assembly elections, the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) has announced revised protocols for polling parties, particularly addressing the movement and stay of women and persons with disabilities (PwD) polling officials.
To accommodate female polling personnel, the office has made the night stay at polling stations on P-1 day (February 4) optional. However, female polling officials who choose not to stay overnight must adhere to specific protocols. In polling parties where the presiding officer is female and other officials are male, the presiding officer will hand over election materials, including EVMs and VVPATs, to the designated male officials in the team, the CEO instructed.
“For polling stations exclusively managed by women, sector officers will deliver machines and materials to the female presiding officer early on poll day. In the case of all-female polling parties at general polling stations, the returning officers may deploy an additional male polling official from reserve teams or arrange early morning delivery of materials by sector officers,” it said. Polling parties comprised exclusively of PwD personnel will have the option of skipping the overnight stay.