Political Parties Urge Election Commission to Cut Voters Per Polling Booth

Rapid Summary

• Kerala’s political parties have urged the State Election Commission to lower the number of voters per polling booth ahead of the 2025 local body elections.
• Currently, polling booths accommodate up to 1,300 voters in panchayats and up to 1,600 in municipalities and corporations. Political parties want these numbers reduced to prevent long queues.
• The Congress-lead UDF suggested capping voter numbers at 1,100 for panchayats and 1,300 for municipalities and corporations.
• Comparatively, the Election Commission of India caps voter numbers at a maximum of 1,200 for Assembly and Parliament elections.
• kerala has a total of 2.66 crore registered voters as per june-end data from the State Election Commission’s rolls.
• In past local body polls:

– Polling stations had limits set at lower levels (e.g., COVID-era revisions brought caps down to 1,200 for panchayats and urban areas).
– Voting hours were extended during certain occurrences such as pandemics (7 am-6 pm).

• Parties requested an extension for new voter registration beyond the current July 23-August 7 window provided by the Commission.

Indian Opinion Analysis

the call by political parties in Kerala to reduce voters per polling booth reflects concerns about organizational efficiency in close-contact civic exercises like elections-where crowd management directly impacts experience and turnout.As seen during prior adjustments made due to COVID protocols or other measures expanding active engagement layers -Appears inconsistency fragmentation nuance ironing!

Secondly/summary