Mysore/Mysuru: The attractive polling booths in every Assembly segment of Mysuru district added glitter and enthusiasm to the ‘Festival of Democracy’ that was celebrated across the State on May 10.

Polling booths across the district had slogans like ‘Sakhi’  for women, ‘Yuva Matagatte’  to attract youth, Ethnic Booth to exhibit culture, Specially-Abled Friendly Booth to boost the confidence of the specially-abled and ‘Budakattu Vishesha Matagatte’ to encourage tribals to vote so that every section of the society can celebrate the ‘Festival of Democracy’, without any discrimination.

At the Ethnic Polling Booth in Tandavapura village of Nanjangud  taluk, painting of a couple in traditional Indian dress welcomed voters and polling booth staff discharged their duties wearing white dhoti, white shirt and Mysuru Peta. At Devirammanahalli ‘Yuva Matagatte’ in Hulimavu village polling booth, walls were decorated with paintings of folk arts and tourist spots of the district. Women staff discharged election duties at ‘Sakhi’ Booths of Hallare, Shirmallli, Kurahatti, Kasuvinahalli, Nerale, Suttur, Biligere, Hosakote and other villages. Also there were attractive welcome arches made of white and pink balloons to greet voters in ‘Sakhi’ Booths.

Special Booths were also set up at Chamundeshwari Con-stituency’s Shettanayakanahalli Government High School, N.R. Constistuency’s Rajendranagar Institute of Education High School, Chamaraja’s Metagalli JSS High School, Krishnaraja’s Devaiahanahundi Government Higher Primary School, Hunsur’s Dharmapura Government High School, T. Narasipur’s Government PU College, Periyapatna’s Byl\akuppe Government Higher Primary School, Nanjangud’s Government PU College, K.R. Nagar’s Hebbalu Gram Panchayat Office and H.D. Kote’s Government PU College for Specially-Abled voters.

District Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Parti-cipation (SVEEP) Committee had set up 11 special booths in H.D. Kote Assembly segment to attract tribal voters. The special booths were set up at Basavanagiri A Hadi, Girijana Ashrama Schools of Bhimanahalli and Penjahalli Colony for tribal voters, who came in large numbers and participated in the Festival of Democracy.