Themed booths steal Delhi poll day show

Voters were pleasantly surprised with innovative themes at several polling centres, as they turned up to exercise their franchise for the Delhi Assembly elections

New Delhi

Poll booth volunteers dressed up as astronauts at a polling station in Vikaspuri. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Polling staff dressed as astronauts, live pottery sessions, puppet shows, free saplings and crèche facility to assist parents visiting polling centres with young kids were among the key highlights of the voting day in Delhi on Wednesday.

Voters were pleasantly surprised with innovative themes at several polling centres, as they turned up to exercise their franchise for the Delhi Assembly elections.

The Election Commission set up 56 model booths on 18 different themes, such as “spirit of democracy”, “India’s maritime glory”, “heritage and culture: celebrating India’s timeless legacy”, “healthy choices”, “healthy nation”, “sustainability” and “sports and yoga”. All polling stations in Delhi Cantonment were set up on themes of “rich history of weaponry/ frigates/aircraft/aircraft carriers”.

A space-themed polling station in Vikaspuri, on “Chandrayaan Se Chunav Tak Bharat Ki Udaan” theme was a hit among visitors, as it celebrated India’s advancements in space missions, offering voters an immersive experience through models of Chandrayaan and PSLV spacecraft, telescopes and bioscopes.Volunteers were dressed as astronauts to assist voters arriving at the centre.

Vikaspuri subdivisional magistrate and returning officer Nitin Shakya said, “We have showcased models of Chandryaan and PSLV which have been made by students of Rajdhani College, Shivaji College and Bharti College. Volunteers have dressed up as astronauts to assist voters... We have even installed a bioscope for people to relive old memories and we have even compared bioscope with telescope... People are very happy with the unique arrangements here.”

At an NDMC School in Tughlak Crescent, which was a VVIP booth, the theme was “sustainability” and voters were roped into playing games. A crèche was set up in the waiting area, along with an awareness programme held on menstrual hygiene.

At Janakpuri’s Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in C block, voters could take part in live pottery making. The theme of the polling booth was “terracotta”.

“We are showcasing the pottery efforts of students of classes 11 and 12. We got to know of the theme around four days ago and the students were able to devote some time for this,” schoolteacher Gurpreet Sharma said.

“A pottery teacher has also been roped in by the DM office,” schoolteacher Manju Yadav said.

Another booth in Khyala organised a live puppet show.