At 150, Maharashtra tops with highest number of polling booths in high-rise societies

Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam said 150 election booths have been identified across Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur. In Maharashtra where voting will be held in five phases, starting Friday (April 19).

Polling officials collect Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and other election material at a distribution centre on the eve of the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Nagpur on Thursday. PTI

As the Election Commission of India (ECI), for the first time, has decided to set up polling booths at high-rise apartment complexes and housing societies to boost urban voter turnout for the Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra tops the list with 150.

S Chockalingam, Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer, told The Indian Express that 150 election booths have been identified across Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur in the state where voting will be held in five phases, starting Friday (April 19).

In response to Election Commissioner Sukbir Singh Sandhu’s appeal to make voting a pleasant experience, Chockalingam said that the aim was to enable voters to cast their ballot joyfully without waiting in long queues.

Chockalingam added that there should be a substantial number — at least a minimum of 1,200 to 1,500 voters in that area to open a polling booth.

“A major push is being given in urban areas to ensure that people exercise their franchise. Residential complexes or high-rise buildings can facilitate voting by providing common shared spaces such as halls in their campus,” said the state chief electoral officer, while mentioning that the initiative can be taken forward during the Assembly elections as well.

With the first phase of voting commencing on April 19, Chockalingam also mentioned that efforts are underway to reduce long queues. “For example, at a particular polling centre with 10 classrooms, five can be used as voting booths, while the other five can be set aside as waiting areas. People can be given tokens and then a batch of three to four could then proceed to cast their vote,” Chockalingam explained. This move will also help reduce the time spent waiting in lines, especially during hot weather conditions.

Meanwhile, municipal corporations have been advised to consider parking logistics around a polling centre.

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Owing to security reasons, parking is not allowed within the centre and corporations have been urged to identify suitable parking areas near the polling booths.

Across the state, over 98,000 polling booths and a whopping 5,55,000 personnel have been involved in this exercise. Several NGOs and social organisations have sent out messages to voters to exercise their franchise apart from voter awareness drives by the ECI.

52,264 centenarians in Maharashtra voters’ list

As part of a path-breaking initiative, the ECI has provided the facility of home voting for the elderly and people with disabilities in the Lok Sabha elections. According to official data, 52,264 people aged 100 and above are eligible to exercise their franchise, while there are 6,05,401 people with disabilities.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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