India’s dedication to democratic processes is demonstrated by its efforts to ensure that every individual gets an opportunity to exercise his/her right to vote. This includes setting up polling booths in some of the most distant and inaccessible areas of the country. From high-altitude Himalayan settlements to deep forests inhabited by indigenous tribes, these polling booths demonstrate the country’s commitment to inclusivity in the democratic process.
One such polling station is set up every election at Raireshwar fort located near the Pune district of Maharashtra. The polling station is set up at the highest location of all the polling stations where the ECI officials and even some voters are expected to undertake a trek for an hour railing against the iron ladder to reach. The station is set up reportedly only for around 160 voters.
In the recently conducted voting on 7th May, the polling team drove to the foothills of Raireshwar to reach the voting location, which is located 30 kilometers from Bhor taluka in rural Pune. From there, an 18-kilometer journey via Rairi goes to the base of Raireshwar, where polling teams walk for an hour to the polling booth using an iron ladder.
As per the reports, the election officials were dispatched to the fort, armed with necessary voting equipment such as Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), control units, and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) devices. Despite the tough terrain, poll workers successfully brought all essential materials to the polling location, allowing every qualified voter to participate in the democratic process.
Nongrait Polling station in East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya
Another such tough, unmotorable polling station is Nongrait in Meghalaya which underwent voting in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election on 19th April. Meghalaya has about 74 non-motorable polling booths. Nongrait Polling Station specifically which lies in the East Khasi Hills has 140 voters and is located near a culturally distinctive, bioengineering wonder and world-famous double-decker living root bridge that can only be reached by foot.
The officials and voters must ascend two mountains and descend 3,400 steps to an inaccessible and pathless site.
Nongrait is perhaps most renowned for its live root bridge, a stunning double-decker suspension structure. The polling station can only be reached by crossing the double-decker root bridge.
Tyrna village, 60 miles from Shillong, is the last motorable place on the way to reach the Nongrait Polling station. After reaching Tyrna, one has no choice but to walk. The polling place is 50 yards away from the root bridge.
Gir Forest, Gujarat polling booth for lone voter
A unique polling booth for a single voter is set up every election in Gir’s deep forests, which are home to the Asiatic lion. This booth ensures that Mahant Haridasji Udasin, a monk living in the forest, is not excluded from the political and democratic process. Every election, the Commission sets up a particular booth at the Gir forest to represent the notion that every vote counts.
This time also, on 7th May, the polling booth set up at Banej in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district ensured that lone voter Mahant Haridas, a temple priest of Banej, located deep inside the Gir forest region exercised his right towards the democratic country.
“He came around 11 am to cast his vote. With it, we have registered 100 percent voting at the booth,” the election commission officer could be quoted as saying. Meanwhile, Udasin appealed that every voter must cast a vote and exercise his/her right and duty towards the nation.
Tashigang, Himachal Pradesh: 52 registered voters
Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh, at an elevation of 15,256 feet, is the world’s highest polling station. The election officials and the voters here face the thin air and frigid conditions while casting their ballots. The polling booth serves a tiny group of villagers who frequently travel long distances through harsh terrain to vote.
Tashigang in Himachal’s Lahaul-Spiti district, which is part of the Mandi parliamentary constituency, has 52 registered voters. The area specifically located in Spiti Valley is snow-covered for six months and there is also a lack of oxygen in the area.
Prior to 2019, the highest polling station was Hikkim (14,400 feet), located near Tashigang. But in 2019, Tashigang was designated as a polling station as a part of the Mandi constituency.
Reports mention that the Election Commission always sets up a replica polling station with a selfie spot and the Himalayas in the background. The majority of the voters arrive at the polls dressed in traditional attire.
Tangnikot and Gurmaiguda, Odisha
Voters from villages such as Tangnikot and Gurmaiguda have stopped crossing the Indravati Reservoir to vote on the mainland as new booths have been set up near the reservoir to shorten voters’ travel time. Previously, voters had to travel 10 to 15 km by boat and car to reach a polling station. But now, the poll officials cross the reservoir on motorboats and conduct voting at these new booths, which are armed with generators due to a shortage of power.
Two additional booths have been built in the Nabarangpur Assembly constituency, which is reserved for ST, to provide services to the five villages in Tentulikhunti block. There are 431 voters in the villages located near one other within the reservoir. While one booth (no 268) has been built up at Tangnikot to serve 158 voters from Jholaguda, Bagra, and Tangnikot, another (no 269) has been set up at Gurmaiguda to serve 273 voters from both Gurmaiguda and Talang. Previously, voters had to travel 10 to 15 kilometers by boat and car to reach a polling station.
To protect voters’ right to vote, the chief electoral officer and the state administration established 203 new booths, similar to those in the Nabarangpur segment, this year in a variety of areas across the state, including topographically diverse and geographically challenging locations, to reduce the distance voters had to travel to their nearest polling booths.
Officials in the CEO’s office stated that in previous elections, voters in the cut-off villages within the Indravati reservoir in Nabarangpur had to take boats to Kenduguda to vote. However, this time, the polling party had made all the arrangements at the new booths so that the voters could vote effortlessly.
After a 40-minute boat voyage through Indravati, the route goes 1.5 km by road to the Gurmaiguda booth, then another 5 kilometers to the next booth at Tangnikot. Both booths have now been outfitted with minimal amenities for voter convenience. Generators also have been erected in the booths given that there is no electricity in the surrounding area.
Majuli Polling Station, Assam
Majuli, the world’s largest river island, located in the Brahmaputra River, contains multiple polling booths that are distinct due to their physical location. The island is part of the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency and has a multitude of voting stations to serve its diverse population. During elections, officials must use boats to carry electronic voting machines and other supplies to the island. Due to seasonal flooding and erosion, these voting booths are among the hardest to access and administer.
Dugong Creek, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
On the secluded little Andaman Island, the Dugong Creek polling booth serves the indigenous Onge and Shimpe tribes. The booth is set up in an area that is normally off-limits to outsiders, allowing the tribe to participate in the election process while preserving their solitude.
This year, as per the data, nearly 91% of the voting happened at the Dugong Creek where Onge primate tribes live exclusively.
Nagada, Odisha Nagada
Nagada, a secluded village in Odisha’s Jajpur district, is located deep in the Sukinda valley and surrounded by extensive forests and hills. The polling booth here serves the Juang tribe, which is one of India’s most vulnerable tribal tribes. Nagada involves a dangerous trip through the forest and hilly terrain, making it one of the most difficult polling booths to reach. The Election Commission ensures that the polling team, along with electronic voting machines, arrives at this remote village to allow tribal residents to participate in the electoral process.
General elections are being held in India from 19th April 2024 to 1st June 2024 to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The elections are being held in seven phases and the results will be announced on 4th June 2024.