<p class="title">All-women police stations are not anymore uncommon, but the idea of all-women polling stations in elections have caught the fancy of the people in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The upcoming elections in the hill state is set to witness a novel initiative by the Election Commission (EC) that is aimed towards empowering women. In a first, the poll panel has set up scores of all-women polling booths.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These polling booths will be entirely managed by women, who will be on election duty. At least two such all-women polling booths have been set up in every constituency, scaling up the number of all-women polling booths to nearly 136.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This election will also be the first where the EC has set up at least five polling stations that will be run by differently abled people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These initiatives could prove to be a trendsetter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The EC's new ways of empowering women comes at a time when political parties across the board have manifested a bias of sorts against women in allotment of party tickets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Women representation in the poll fray is dismal.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sources in the state EC told <span class="italic">DH</span> that the all-women polling booths will perform all tasks as mandated by the EC.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The initiative will send out a strong message.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sources said the differently abled people have been identified and assigned tasks at the five polling booths in the state where they will be in-charge.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These differently abled people have volunteered for the initiative.</p>
<p class="title">All-women police stations are not anymore uncommon, but the idea of all-women polling stations in elections have caught the fancy of the people in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The upcoming elections in the hill state is set to witness a novel initiative by the Election Commission (EC) that is aimed towards empowering women. In a first, the poll panel has set up scores of all-women polling booths.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These polling booths will be entirely managed by women, who will be on election duty. At least two such all-women polling booths have been set up in every constituency, scaling up the number of all-women polling booths to nearly 136.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This election will also be the first where the EC has set up at least five polling stations that will be run by differently abled people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These initiatives could prove to be a trendsetter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The EC's new ways of empowering women comes at a time when political parties across the board have manifested a bias of sorts against women in allotment of party tickets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Women representation in the poll fray is dismal.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sources in the state EC told <span class="italic">DH</span> that the all-women polling booths will perform all tasks as mandated by the EC.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The initiative will send out a strong message.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sources said the differently abled people have been identified and assigned tasks at the five polling booths in the state where they will be in-charge.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These differently abled people have volunteered for the initiative.</p>