Polling booths to be made smoke-free

Delhi polling booths would have to be smoke-free and it would be the duty of the presiding officer to ensure that neither the voters nor polling agents smoke inside the booth, said Delhi state election authority in an order.

Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi A K Srivastava declared all polling stations in Delhi as no-smoking zones and issued instructions to all district electoral officers-cum-district magistrates to ensure prohibition of smoking at booths. The order was sent to nine district officers in Delhi and 70 returning officers.

Moreover, the district electoral officers have been asked to display signs outside the polling booths informing voters about the booths being no-smoking zones.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Election Commission asked the state election authorities to implement the no-smoke policy in accordance with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

It was also mentioned in the EC handbook.
“But this is for the first time a state authority has come out with a separate order on no-smoking polling booth,” said Binoy Mathew from Voluntary Health Association India, a non-governmental outfit that campaigns against tobacco consumption.

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India 2009–10, almost one-fourth of Delhi population uses tobacco product in one form or other.

The capital has 9.9 per cent cigarette smokers, 8.7 per cent bidi smokers and 10.5 per cent smokeless tobacco users.