Fri Jun 13 10:51:01 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is implementing new initiatives to increase voter participation in urban areas, particularly in Kerala, which is highly urbanized. These initiatives include establishing polling stations in high-rise buildings and residential colonies, providing a “mobile deposit facility” for voters to leave their phones before entering polling stations, and launching a new integrated dashboard, ECINET, to consolidate election-related services. Kerala may require approximately 6,500 additional polling booths due to the ECI’s limit of 1,200 voters per polling station.

**News Article:**

**Kerala to See Polling Stations in High-Rises as ECI Boosts Urban Voter Turnout**

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, June 13, 2025 – In a bid to combat urban voter apathy, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to introduce polling stations within high-rise buildings and residential colonies across Kerala. The initiative, aimed at improving accessibility for urban voters, particularly in cities like Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, was announced by P. Pawan, Deputy Director of ECI’s Media Division.

According to Rathan U. Kelkar, Chief Electoral Officer – Kerala, District Collectors have been directed to identify eligible high-rise buildings for establishing these polling stations. This move comes as Kerala prepares to potentially add around 6,500 additional polling booths to comply with the ECI’s mandate of a maximum of 1,200 voters per polling station.

Adding to the measures being taken to ensure a smooth voting process, the ECI will also provide a “mobile deposit facility” allowing voters to securely leave their mobile phones just outside the polling stations. This is designed to address concerns about phone usage inside polling areas.

Furthermore, the ECI is launching ECINET, a new integrated dashboard that will consolidate all election-related services into a single platform, replacing over 40 existing apps and websites. Sharmila C., Additional CEO – Kerala, highlighted the efficiency gains expected from the new system.

These measures underscore the ECI’s commitment to enhancing voter convenience and participation in the democratic process, particularly in urban areas where turnout has traditionally been lower. The upcoming Nilambur by-elections will serve as a testing ground for some of these initiatives.

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