Mangaluru: Teachers and lecturers will try their teaching skills in polling booths.Thanks to the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) across the state for the first time, teachers,lectures and professors will sensitize voters about VVPATs , when polling is on.“Their role is to give demo on VVPAT whenever a voter has confusion about it. Through dummy electronic voting machines (EVM), confusion can be removed from the minds of the public,” said district electoral officer and deputy commissioner S Sasikanth Senthil, while speaking to STOI.Earlier, college lectures and professors were not posted for poll duty. VVPATs increased the number of staff in poll booths from 4 to 5. Senthil said every polling booth will have a presiding officer, first PRO and three others.M L Vaishali, additional deputy commissioner, said due to additional personnel in every polling booth this time, they have roped in 2,000 additional staff. “Interestingly, to fulfil the staff crunch, apart from teachers,professors and lecturers, we have also deputed central government and bank employees. Other staff members include anganwadi and ASHA workers, whose qualification is above class 10. However, teachers and lecturers are more sought after for giving demonstrations on VVPATs,” she said, adding that even senior officials of any government are not spared and roped in for electoral duties.There are about 1,858 polling stations in Dakshina Kannada district spread in five taluks, which include, Mangaluru, Bantwal, Belthangady, Puttur and Sullia. There are eight assembly constituencies.College lecturers, professors and deans are happy with the government’s decision. “The election falls on a second Saturday, which is holiday for all of us. So it will not inconvenience us. There are also no end semester examinations held on those days,” said an official from Mangalore University.

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