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.

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.

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.

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.

These initiatives could prove to be a trendsetter.

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.

Women representation in the poll fray is dismal.

Sources in the state EC told DH that the all-women polling booths will perform all tasks as mandated by the EC.

The initiative will send out a strong message.

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.

These differently abled people have volunteered for the initiative.