Every vote counts: How EC conducts polls in India’s remotest corners

The video of a group of election officials climbing steep hills to reach polling stations in Arunachal Pradesh has recently gone viral on the internet.

Travelling through jungles and snow-capped mountains, wading through rivers, carrying electronic voting machines (EVMs) on horse and elephant backs, setting up polling stations in tents, shipping containers and booths in hamlets with a lone voter — the Election Commission (EC) has to literally move mountains to conduct polls at the remotest and inaccessible places.

The first of the seven-phase general election took place on April 19 while the second round concluded on April 26.

According to chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar, the polling parties carry EVMs traversing the farthest and toughest terrain crossing makeshift bridges to ensure “no voter is left behind”.

“We will walk the extra mile so that the voters don’t have to. We will go to the snowed mountains and jungles. We will go on horses and helicopters and on the bridges and even ride on elephants and mules just to ensure everyone is able to vote,” he had said while announcing the schedule for 18th Lok Sabha polls last month.

TOI Plus tracks the arduous journeys undertaken by polling officials as India witnesses the world’s largest democratic exercise.

World’s highest polling station

According to EC records, Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti district has the world’s highest polling station located at the height of 15,256ft above sea level.

Located close to the China border, Tashigang in Mandi constituency had witnessed 100% turnout in the past two elections. Himachal Pradesh will vote in one phase, on June 1. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut in Mandi against state public works department (PWD) minister Vikramaditya Singh of the Congress.

“All 52 electors of the village turned up to exercise their franchise on November 12, 2022, notwithstanding the freezing cold. Himachal Pradesh had 65 polling stations at the height between 10,000ft to 12,000ft and 20 polling stations above the height of 12,000ft from sea level,” said an EC report after the 2022 assembly polls.

Voters in Tashigang recently threatened to boycott the polls after they were terminated as daily wagers with the PWD. The district administration later held talks with the locals and promised to look into their grievances.

Watch: A polling station located above all

A lone voter deep in Gir forest

Since 2007, a special polling station has been set up in Banej, tucked deep in the forests of Gir, for just one voter — Mahant Haridasji Udasin, according to Leap of Faith, a book on polls published by the EC. Udasin is a priest at a Shiva temple located in the area.

A dedicated polling team is appointed to set up the booth near the temple and to make necessary arrangements for the lone voter to exercise his right.

Watch: A polling booth for just one voter

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“The Baneshwar Mahadev temple is located deep inside Gir forest, the last surviving natural habitat of Asiatic lions. Political parties do not canvas in the area for fear of wild animals. The polling team comprising 10 persons travelled 25km to set up a booth for a single voter. Haridas Udasin is the successor to Mahant Bharatdas Darshandas, who was the sole voter in the polling station for nearly two decades, before he passed away in November 2019,” the book reads.

A first in the Andamans

For the first time in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, seven members of the Shompen tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group of the Great Nicobar Islands, exercised their voting rights for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Union territory on April 19.

Built inside the forest staff quarters, polling station 411 was christened as ‘Shompen Hut’. The new voters also posed for photos at a designated selfie booth made by the EC.

The Shompen tribes were assisted in their language by an interpreter known as ‘Mathiyas’ (a Nicobari tribal youth). As per the 2011 census, the population of the Shompen was 229.

“Other two primitive tribes like Onge and Great Andamanese too exercised their voting rights like in 2019 Lok Sabha election but seven Shompen did it for the first time out of 98 Shompen voters,” chief electoral officer BS Jaglan said.

Why mules were banned in Bengal’s hills

At 6,900ft, the journey to West Bengal’s highest and most remote polling booths at Srikhola village in Darjeeling district has always been a treacherous trek. This year, the task got even tougher for poll officials.

Mules, which used to carry EVMs, papers, ink and all other poll equipment, have been banned by the state forest department citing high probability of them spreading diseases to other animals in the Singalila National Park, including the endangered red panda.

The popular trekking route from Manebhanjan to Sandakphu and Phalut passes through the Singalila forests. Mules had been carrying loads for trekkers on this route for years. Srikhola village, which has three polling booths for its 1,462 voters, is around 16km from Sandakphu.

In view of the ban, election officials took the help of porters to carry voting machines to the polling centre, the Associated Press reported.

Polling parties’ three-day trek

With no motorable roads and mobile connectivity, polling officials walked for three days to reach the farthest polling station of Siang district located at Gate village in Arunachal Pradesh on April 18. The village has only 164 voters. The two constituencies in the state went to polls on April 19.

In a post on X, the EC highlighted the strenuous efforts of these officials who navigated hilly terrains with the help of ropes as district authorities monitored their progress via walkie-talkies.

Watch: Tough terrain no problem for polling party

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The team of 23, which included many porters, was hand-picked for the job based on physical fitness. The village lies about 60km from Payum administrative circle headquarters, which too is not connected by road with district headquarters Siang.

Another team of 23 officials embarked on a journey to Gasheng village, located 52km away from Payum circle headquarters. Gasheng has 257 voters.

Life jackets, divers and a boat ride

According to an EC report on past elections, polling personnel had to wear life jackets and were accompanied by divers to a riverine polling station in Kamsing village in West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya.

“The village, which survives on betel nut farming and solar electricity, has the farthest and non-motorable polling station of Meghalaya. Situated 69km from district headquarters Jowai, and 44km from sub-district headquarters (tehsildar’s office) Amlarem, the village is approachable only by small country-made boats,” reads an anecdote shared by the EC.

“It takes an hour-long cruise to reach the village along the Indo-Bangladesh border. A polling station was set up in the village for its 35 voters, 20 males and 15 females, drawn from 23 families that inhabit the village,” the report says.

With inputs from TOI reporters and agencies.