Inspired by Seshan, EC to have separate enclosures for voting by 'purdanasheen' women

NEW DELHI: Taking a leaf out of former chief election commission er (CEC) T N Seshan ’s book, the Election Commission has asked its Bihar poll machinery to set up separate enclosures for identification of ‘purdanasheen’ women voters in the polling stations , using innovative but locally available, inexpensive materials like charpoys and bedspreads.

Implementing the directions issued by the Seshan-led EC in 1994, the current commission has directed the Bihar chief electoral officer (CEO), district election officers (DEOs) or returning officers (ROs), assistant ROs and presiding officers to create these enclosures to ensure that no woman stays away from voting purely due to lack of privacy and other required facilities at polling stations.

The poll body will identify areas and polling stations with significant number of veil-wearing women and ensure that adequate lady staff, including at least one woman polling officer, are included in the polling parties. “Separated enclosures for identification of purdanasheen women should be provided in the polling station with locally available but absolutely inexpensive devices and using local ingenuity, such as use of charpoys or cloth such as bed spreads.

The 1994 instructions also sought the deployment of at least one lady polling officer in polling stations where the number of women electors is 50% or above and where the system of burqa or purdah is observed as a social custom.
In polling stations exclusively meant for women electors, the polling personnel shall have as many lady officers as available, consistent with overall security requirements.

In other polling stations too, at least one lady polling officer shall be appointed for identifying and assisting women voters. The services if lady village level workers or anganwadi workers, gram sevikas and lady school teachers shall be used for identification of purdahnasheen women voters.

Also, where women polling staff are not available in adequate numbers, the returning officer or presiding officer may appoint any woman as an attendant to assist women electors and also the presiding officer in respect of women electors. Care should be taken to ensure that such attendants do not have any known leanings for allegiance to any political party or candidate.

Some of the reasons cited in the 1994 instructions, for the low women voter turnout was included social and religious taboos, particularly among purdahnasheen women of a particular community or women of certain other communities observing the purdah system in the presence of family and village elders, or to sentimental reasons in some tribal areas.