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Medical wards, all women staff: How youngsters in Pune felt empowered to vote

For 20-year-old Arya Godbole, voting was thoughtful and with intent.

3 min readPuneJan 15, 2026 10:38 PM IST

Maharashtra voted in its Municipal Corporation elections

An election officer uses a marker pen on a voter's finger at the centre set up at the Kroot School in Pune's Wanawadi on Thursday. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Written by: Shreenija Dandavate

On January 15, as Maharashtra voted in its Municipal Corporation elections, polling booths across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad filled with young faces.

For 20-year-old Arya Godbole, voting was thoughtful and with intent. “I didn’t just vote for the sake of it. I did my research,” she said, describing a sense of pride that came with participation. Having voted in national elections before, this municipal poll stood out for another reason because the Pink Polling Station she visited, run entirely by women. “It was inspiring,” she said. “It made me feel like my vote truly contributes to my city’s growth.”

The presence of a medical ward and all-women staff added to that sense of care and representation. This excitement was shared by Aditi Patil, voting for the first time in PCMC. Having followed elections from afar, she saw campaigning and voting up close for the first time. “I am very happy,” she said simply. “I hope the candidate I voted for works for the people.”

Also Read | PMC polls: Confusion, chaos and a lack of accessibility: Senior citizens face challenges in voting

But not all voters left feeling fully confident. Aadi, a student from Apte Road, noticed what he described as troubling gaps. While he acknowledged that the staff were helpful and the EVMs functioned smoothly, he was troubled by the absence of a VVPAT. “I was not able to see and verify that the vote I had cast reflected in the ballot box,” he said. “While the EVMs worked well, I am not perfectly confident without a VVPAT slip.” Aadi also felt this could undermine trust. “The ink being put on people’s fingers is not standard indelible ink; it’s a simple permanent marker which can be easily removed,” he said. “These are structural issues. This is the least one can expect as a voter in a functional democracy.”

Amey Ajgar, a 19-year-old student from MIT-WPU, also shared concerns regarding the absence of VVPAT but acknowledged the presence of an indicator light on the EVM. However, he was deeply disturbed by the unethical behaviour of party representatives outside the polling booths. “When I reached, they practically told me to vote for a particular person,” said Ajgar, shocked by the blatant disrespect towards the Moral Code of Conduct, with persistent campaigning right outside the centres causing unrest. Other logistical issues such as the lack of parking and civic sense persisted. Similarly, accessibility emerged as a concern as well.

At a polling booth on Sinhagad Road, Mayur Chavan, 21, observed that while the process was smooth, senior citizens struggled. He was not allowed to assist his grandmother, and officials did not step in to help her either. —With inputs from Vaishnavi Gujar, Ritesh Dhar, Advaya Apte, and Swasti Jain

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