At polling booths in housing societies in Pune district, it’s a work in progress

Booth level officers Suvarna Gogawale, Ratnamala Pimpare, and Sangeeta Misal said they hoped this exercise would help drive up voting percentage. Jalindar Singhare, another poll officer, said it will help the electorate. “We think the polling percentage will be over 60,” said Gogawale.

Suresh Bhosale ( R) and Sandip Bhalerao of Kendriya Vihar society. (Express Photo)

At Kendriya Vihar Cooperative Housing Society in Moshi, chairman Suresh Bhosale said poll officials had approached them for installing poll booths in the premises. “We agreed and now have three polling booths in our community hall,” he said.

The society has around 1,000 residents voters, and booths have enrolled around 4,000 voters. Bhosale said around 50 per cent residents were listed at the society booth for voting while the rest were sent to the old polling booth in Borhadewadi, around 5 km away. “It is a relief that our senior citizens can vote in their society, but we should have all voters here,” he said.

The Netaji Nagar Cooperative Housing Society at Lullanagar is among the 126 polling booths in the Pune district. The 49-year-old housing society has 582 flats across 39 buildings, with a voting population of 1900.

Polling officers at a housing society. (Express Photo)

The society’s chairman Ravindra Mhaskar said voting had been smooth so far. “We have reached out to residents who have flats in this society but now stay elsewhere. At least 50 per cent of residents have moved out as the flats here are small,” added Mhaskar.

Shankar Karasgikar, 82, a retired professor at College of Engineering Pune Technological University, said voting within society premises was a different experience.

However, all is not well in other societies in Pune. At Voyage Cooperative Housing Society in Moshi, only 20 per cent of its residents are registered at the booth there. Nitik Singh, property manager of the housing society, said they started the process of enrolling voters in the last two months. “All those forms are still in office. There are mostly outsiders who have come to vote here,” he said.

At Raheja Garden Federation Cooperative Housing Society, Wanowrie, polling booth level officer Asha Bhosale guided residents of societies nearby as they waited to figure out which booth they were to cast their votes at.