GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 27th March. The Election Commission (EC) goes to great lengths to conduct elections in the most remote and inaccessible areas. This includes setting up polling stations in makeshift tents, shipping containers, and booths in small villages with only a few voters.
From the Gir forest, home to Asiatic lions, to the world’s highest polling station at over 15,000 feet above sea level, the EC has achieved remarkable feats in ensuring every eligible voter can participate in the democratic process.
According to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, polling parties go to extreme lengths to reach voters, even crossing makeshift bridges and using various modes of transportation like horses, helicopters, and elephants.
In the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, special polling booths will be set up for internally-displaced persons in Manipur who have been affected by ethnic clashes. Over 50,000 displaced people will have the opportunity to vote at these booths.
One of the most challenging polling stations is located in Tashigang, Himachal Pradesh, at an altitude of 15,256 feet above sea level. Despite the harsh conditions, all 52 electors of the village turned up to vote in the last election.
In Meghalaya, polling personnel had to wear life jackets and be accompanied by divers to reach a riverine polling station in Kamsing village. The village is only accessible by small boats along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
In Gir Forest, a special polling station is set up for a single voter, Mahant Haridasji Udasin, who is a priest at a Shiva temple. The polling team travels 25 kilometers to ensure he can exercise his right to vote.
Similarly, in Arunachal Pradesh, election workers traveled 300 miles over four days to reach a remote hamlet with a single voter in Malogam.
The EC has also set up polling stations for Siddis, descendants of East Africans, in Gujarat and Maharashtra. These efforts ensure that even the most marginalized communities have the opportunity to vote.
Overall, the EC is committed to ensuring that no voter is left behind, even if it means overcoming significant challenges such as harsh terrain, extreme weather conditions, and wildlife threats.
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