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General Elections and bye-elections 2026: Assured Minimum Facilities and Voter Assistance to be provided at All Polling Stations

  1. Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, and bye-elections in 6 states on March 15, 202626.
  2. ECI has issued directions to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the States/UTs to ensure that each of the 2,18,807 Polling Stations is equipped with Assured Minimum Facilities (AMFs) and voter assistance on poll day.
  3. AMF includes drinking water, a waiting area with shade, a toilet with a water facility, adequate lighting, a ramp of proper gradient for PwD electors, a standard voting compartment, and proper signage. CEOs have also been asked to provide benches placed at regular intervals in the queue so that electors can sit while awaiting their turn to vote.
  4. To strengthen voter awareness, four uniform and standardised Voter Facilitation Posters (VFP) shall be prominently displayed at all polling stations containing the Polling Station Details, List of Candidates, Do’s and Don’ts, list of Approved Identification Documents, and the voting process.
  5. Voter Assistance Booths (VABs) shall be set up for every polling station location with a team of Booth Level Officers (BLOs)/officials to assist electors in locating their polling booth number and serial number in the electoral roll of the concerned booth. VABs will have prominent signage and will be easily visible as the voters approach the polling premises.
  6. In one of the many initiatives taken by ECI for the convenience of voters, a mobile phone deposit facility for voters will be provided outside the entrance of the polling station. Voters can hand over their phone (switched off) before entering the station to a designated volunteer and collect it after casting the vote.
  7. The Commission reiterates that provisioning of AMF and related accessibility measures is mandatory and shall be monitored for strict compliance across all polling stations. All field functionaries have been directed to complete necessary works well before the poll dates to ensure a seamless and pleasant voting experience for all electors.

About Editor in chief

Ashok Palit has completed his graduation from Upendranath College Soro, Balasore and post graduation from Utkal University in Odia Language and literture.. He has also carved out a niche for himself as a scribe of eminence after joining the profession in 1988. He is also an independent media production professional. He brings loads of experience to Advanced Media, Ashok Palit as a cineaste has been active in film criticism for over three decades. As a film society activist, he soared to eminence for his profound commitment to the art film appreciation and aesthetics of cinema. His mode of discourse is often erudite but always lucid and comprehensible marked by a perfect acumen so rare in the field. A film aesthete with an immense fond of critical sensibilities, he wrote about growth and development of odia cinema in New Indian Express, The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Asian Age and Screen. He has been working as an Editor for Cine Samaya from 2002-2004.. He had made solid contribution on cinema in many odia Dailies and weekly such as Samaj, Prajatantra, Dharatri, Samaya, Satabadi, and weekly Samaya.
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