Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network – Beltangady

Beltangady, Jun 20: The government high school in Machina, known for being a child-friendly institution, turned completely pink on Wednesday as it conducted a model school parliament election to educate students on the democratic process. The initiative aimed to instill the values of democracy in young minds through a unique election experience.

Why the colour pink? Inspired by the Election Commission’s initiative of setting up ‘Pink Booths’ (Sakhi Booths) at polling stations with a high number of female voters to encourage participation, the Machina school followed the same concept. With 96 girls and 76 boys studying in classes 9 and 10—a total of 172 students—the school decided to establish and decorate a polling booth in pink, reflecting the higher number of girl students.

All polling officials, including the presiding officer, were women dressed in pink. The entrance was adorned with pink balloons and fabric, and pink cloth was used to cover tables and chairs. The booth offered a real-time voting experience, requiring each student voter to present an Aadhaar card. Through this process, the school effectively introduced the students to the practical aspects of voting and the true essence of democracy.

The entire process strictly followed a realistic election timeline—notification on June 9, nomination filing on June 11, scrutiny on June 12, withdrawal deadline on June 13, campaigning on June 17, polling on June 18, and finally, vote counting and result declaration followed by the swearing-in ceremony. Voting was conducted using the EVM mobile app to simulate an authentic experience.

In the student election for the position of School Prime Minister, four candidates contested, and NOTA (None of the Above) was also an option. Out of 172 registered student voters, 164 cast their votes, resulting in a 95% turnout. Yajnesh, a student of class 10, won the election with 54 votes, while Aseera Banu secured 41 votes and was elected as the leader of the opposition. The other candidates, Prathvik and Ashwija, received 39 and 27 votes respectively. Three votes were cast as NOTA.

Following the main election, the rest of the cabinet was also formed, and newly elected student leaders took an oath. The entire programme was guided by social science teacher Venkappa B. Headmaster S Prakash Naik addressed the students, highlighting the significance of voting and the democratic process.

SDMC president Honnappa Salian served as the observer for the event, while teachers Shivayini Shetty, Leena Serrao, Subhashchandra Poojary, Suresh M, Durgaprasad G, Avinash, and V Chandappa Poojary contributed to the programme’s success. Kitchen staff members Sheela, Kusuma, Revathi, and office assistant Kum. Tejaswi, along with the enthusiastic participation of students, added extra charm to the event.

While modern student elections often rely heavily on technology, Machina Government High School’s adaptation of the Sakhi (Pink) Booth concept stands out as a model exercise that truly reflects the vision of the Election Commission.

"This time, to raise awareness about the role of women voters, we introduced the 'Pink (Sakhi) Booth' concept in our school. The booth was entirely decorated in pink, and all polling duties were handled by female staff, giving students a realistic experience of the voting process,” Prakash Naik, headmaster, Machina Government High School.