By: moneycontrol NEWS APRIL 22, 2024
The officers at the polling station in Chedema village in the tiny mountain state of Nagaland had arrived the day before, all of them women on electoral duty for the first time. The four women surveyed the polling station, secured the perimeter and started on the tedious paperwork involved with India’s multiphase national election. (Source: AP)
The Northern Angami constituency is Nagaland’s first to be solely managed by women polling officers. It was the idea of Kumar Ramnikant, the administrative head of Kohima district, in hopes of breaking job stereotypes. (Source: AP)
“If our country needs proper development, then there should be equal contribution from both halves,” Ramnikant said. “Empowerment should not only be at the top level, it should be at the bottom level also. It should be at all layers for real empowerment.” (Source: AP)
“I just hope it will go smoothly and things happen on time,” said Neichütuonuo Yhome, 27, the presiding officer of the Chedema polling station’s team. After they collected the electronic voting machines and other election-related material on Thursday, Yhome led her team to their station. (Source: AP)
India’s elections that started Friday will finish June 1, with the counting starting on June 4. Each phase is held on a single day, with voting in several constituencies across multiple states. The staggered polling allows the government to deploy tens of thousands of troops to prevent violence and transport election officials and voting machines. (Source: AP)