Shimla, May 14
Chief Electoral Officer of Himachal Pradesh, Maneesh Garg, kicked off a cycling expedition aiming to reach the world’s highest polling station, Tashigang, standing tall at 15,256 feet above sea level. Led by State Election Icon Jaspreet Paul, the expedition seeks to raise awareness, particularly among the youth, about their voting rights.
Starting from Shimla the expedition will culminate at world’s highest polling station located at Tashigang (15256 feet) on 20th May, 2024. This expedition will go to Tashigang via, Theog, Narkanda, Rampur, Rekong Peo, Nako, Kaza, Kaumik, Hikkim.
CEO said that this seven-day cycling expedition from Shimla to Tashigang will create awareness among voters especially among first time voters. He said that six people are participating in the cycling rally, out of which State election icon Jaspreet Paul and his team member Kshitij will go from Shimla till Tashigang while other four cyclists will be part of this expedition till Narkanda. This expedition will go to Tashigang via, Theog, Narkanda, Rampur, Rekong Peo, Nako, Kaza, Kaumik, Hikkim.
It is pertinent to mention that the expedition will pay tribute to the First Voter of India Late Shyam Saran Negi on 16th May at Kalpa.
Departing from Shimla’s Ridge Ground at 0800 hrs on Tuesday, the initiative also responds to concerns over low turnout, notably evident in Tashigang where recent calls for boycotting elections highlighted dissatisfaction with MLA Ravi Thakur and the central government. The district administration has engaged in discussions with the Tashigang polling station which has 62 voters (37 male and 25 female), located in Spiti division of Kullu district, following previous boycotts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With a focus on boosting voter turnout, especially considering previous elections’ subpar participation rates of below 75 percent, the State Election Department aims to mobilize the electorate for the upcoming polls on June 1.
Garg said that the distance between Shimla to Kaza is 414 kilometers which also coincides with Election Department’s Mission 414 Systemnatic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative. This Mission is aimed at increasing voting percentage at 414 polling stations, where the voting percentage was low in LSE-2019.
Noteworthy, that the electoral landscape of Himachal Pradesh includes a diverse demographic, totaling 5,556,001 eligible voters, comprising 28.07 lakh males, 27.48 lakh females, and 36 transgender individuals. Constituency-wise, Kangra boasts the largest electorate with 14.68 lakh voters, followed by Mandi with 13.46 lakh, Hamirpur with 14.11 lakh, and Shimla with 13.29 lakh. Interestingly, Lahaul-Spiti emerges as the smallest assembly constituency, housing a mere 25,043 voters, with females outnumbering males, comprising 12,458 and 12,495 voters, respectively.
CEO said that the Election Department was organizing various types of events from time to time with the aim of making people aware about voting. In this series, a plan has been prepared to organize cycling rallies in nine districts on 25 and 26 May, 2024. Participation of maximum youth will be ensured in these rallies so that the voting percentage could be increased.
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