Kerala to have 6,500 more polling booths

The reduction in number of voters is expected to ease up the queues, Election Commission of India Deputy Director P Pawan said here on Friday.

Voters show their ID cards as they wait in queues at a polling booth. File photo | PTI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state will have around 6,500 more polling booths in the next assembly elections, as the Election Commission of India has reduced the number of voters per booth from 1500 to 1200. With the new decision, the forthcoming Nilambur bypoll will see a rise of 59 polling booths.

The reduction in number of voters is expected to ease up the queues, Election Commission of India Deputy Director P Pawan said here on Friday.

The new reforms are part of the 23 new initiatives taken by the ECI. This will also include setting up of token-based mobile deposit facility for voters and additional polling booths in highrises and colonies.

“The attempt is to identify all highrises across the state. Based on the need, we will identify the places where we can set up polling stations. It is still a work in progress,” said Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar.