Haritha Polling Stations Boost Voter Turnout in Warangal

Warangal: In a unique initiative to promote both civic duty and environmental awareness, Warangal district has introduced ‘Haritha (Green) Polling Stations’ as part of the ongoing Gram Panchayat elections, with the aim of boosting voter turnout.

District election officer and collector Satya Sharada spearheaded the initiative and personally inspected the special polling centres across the district on Sunday.

Warangal is the only district to have introduced theme-based polling stations. The main objective, the collector said, is to increase the voting percentage. Based on the success of the first phase, during which Green Polling Stations recorded a 2 to 3 per cent higher turnout compared to regular stations, two such centres were set up in each of the four mandals going to polls in the second phase.

The polling stations were attractively decorated to create a calm and welcoming atmosphere for voters. They were adorned with green leaves and featured placards carrying environmental slogans urging people to protect nature, increase green cover by planting saplings and avoid plastic use and tree cutting.

In addition to environmental messages, the stations prominently displayed motivational slogans highlighting the importance of voting, such as “Vote for a better future”, “We have the power to make a difference” and “Do not sell your vote”. The ambience was designed to encourage voters to exercise their franchise in a relaxed, pressure-free environment.

Satya Sharada visited several Green Polling Stations, including those at Geesukonda, Gangadevipally, Venkatapur, Desaipally, Nallabelli, Nandigama, Sangem and Mondrai. During her visits, she reviewed facilities, staff deployment, polling progress and security arrangements, and issued necessary instructions to officials for smooth conduct of the polls.

She urged voters to cast their votes freely without fear, pressure or inducements.