In A First, Rajasthan Gets Over 250 All-Women's Booths

Rajasthan voted today for 199 seats and what was different this time were "Pink Booths" managed exclusively by women.

Of the 51,965 polling stations across the state, 259 are all women's booths where men and women can come out and vote.

Pink-and-white balloons greeted voters as they walked into these booths. The women's polling booths are a new experiment by the Election Commission to help boost the participation of women in elections.

"We are seeing that women's participation is increasing in all sectors - be it government or private. So we wanted to experiment with stations managed exclusively by women. Going forward, we would want more and more such all-women's booths," said an election officer from a pink booth in Jhalrapatan where Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje cast her vote in the morning.

The turnout of women in the last assembly election was one per cent higher than that of men.

Voters lined up early morning at all women's booths. A group of women said the choice to vote is their own and they do not consult their husbands on this.

"We are here to vote for safe and swachh Rajasthan. Would want more and more women to come forward and vote," a voter from the group said.

The votes will be counted on December 11 for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.