Shimla, Oct 14
Election Commission of India announced here today that Tashigang Monastery in tribal Lahaul Spiti district at a height of about 15265 feet above sea level would be the world’s highest polling station for these bye polls scheduled on Oct 30 in Himachal Pradesh for Mandi Parliamentary and three assembly seats.
This was announced by the Chief Electoral Officer of State C Palrasu while addressing media persons ahead of bye poll here today . He said that Tashigang monastery, polling station No- 72 is having just 55 voters falls under 21 scheduled tribe reserved Assembly constituency, will go to poll Oct 30 for Mandi Lok Sabha bye poll at about 15256 feet above sea level.
He said that polling both no-3 Adail ( 8500 ft. ) would be highest polling both in Jubbal Kotkahi Assembly bye election in Shimla district. Similarly Pambad (6204 ft) polling station no 67 would be highest polling both under Arki Assembly bye election in Solan district and Agahar (2100 ft) highest polling station in Fatehpur assembly bye election in Kangra district.
Toughest polling bothÂ
Booth number 57-Shakti situated in GHNP under Banjar Assembly in Kullu district (Mandi LS) would be toughest polling station where voters and polling parities may have to travel around 24 km by foot. Similarly Fetehpur Sath-Kuthera of Kangra district would be another tough polling booth where one has to travel six km on foot and Dhansar of Jubbal Kotkahi Assy in Shimla district where polling parties would travel two kms on foot.
There would be total 2484 polling stations in the bye election including 2213 in Mandi parliamentary, 132 in ArKi Assembly, 128 in Jubbal Kotikahi and 111 in Fetehpur assembly bye election. In Mandi parliamentary around 3250 EVM and 2130 VVPAT is being deployed for the polling.
EVM model Post 2013-M3 polling machine to be used
Further the Election Commission claimed that it would deploy machine EVM model Post 2013-M3 in the poll. Total 605 EVM and 647 VVPts were deployed for the polling. About 198 EVM and 212 VVPAT at Fatehpur, 216 EVMs and 231 VVPAT in Arki and 191Â EVM and 204 VVPAT in Jubbal Kotkhai, they informed.
ECI has deployed 38 Assistant Returning Officer and four Returning Officer in the three assembly and one parliamentary polls, wherein 32 ARO and One RO would be deployed in the Mandi parliamentary. To ensure free and fair poll the employees would be deputed on the random software basis in the polling stations.
1,550,556 total voters
Total 1,550,556 voters including service voters are eligible to cast their vote including 1,299756 in Mandi( including 660743 male and 639013 female and five others) , 87,222 in Fatehpur ( 44665 male and 42557 female), 92609 in Arki ( 47189 male and 45420 female) and 70,969 in Jubbal and Kotikahi( 35329 male and 35636 female).
There are around 1.28 lakh general voters and 13374 service voters in Mandi, 85686 and 1536 in Fatehpur, 91884 and 725 in Arki and 70792 and 173 in Jubbal Kotkhai respectively.
40 polling stations dedicated to women
There are 40 polling stations dedicated to women voters as two polling station in each assembly segments of Mandi parliamentary would be all woman polling station.
In Mandi LS woman Polling station n-3- Aleu in Manali assembly have 767 voters including 398 female voters compared to 369 male voters, Polling station No- 77 – Kewling in Lahaul Spiit have 156 voters including 83 female and 73 male voters, Under Manali Assembly Woman PS No- 15 -Nasogi have 785 voters including 393 female and 392 males. Under Kullu assembly woman PS Dhalpur -I have 473 voters including 249 female and 224 male. Under Banjar assembly women PS No 102 Horangad have 312 voters including 162 female and 150 male, PS No 110 Barda have 291 voters including 153 female and 138 male.
Addition to this as many as 38305 first time voters between age group of 18 -19 yrs would cast their vote including 20502 male, 17802 female and one other.
India’s first voter to be escorted to polling station KalpaÂ
India’s first voters Master Ram Saran Negi who is almost turning to 106 has voted in all the general and assembly bye polls held after 1952 recently got both the doses of Covid vaccine would turn up at Kalpa Polling station to caste vote for Mandi LS bye poll . C Palrasu said that district administration would provide a special vehicle to escort him up to polling station in Kinnuar district on Oct 30 so he could be caste his vote keeping his advance age in mind.
To make Himachal Pradesh all user friendly special arrangement would be made for 18054 special able voters including 3407 visually impaired, 2382 of speech and hearing, 8669 locomotive impaired, 4667 others special voters. Three special polling station were dedicated to special abled election. There are 36 ideal polling stations including 18 in Mandi LS where water, toilet and resting facility would be provided to elderly people having space for children to stay while their parents would caste votes.
Election commission of India have registered non bailable offences against 225 people to ensure the peaceful election and  cases are also pending before the action against 391 people. 7435 arms and weapon were deposited with the police stations and 112 persons bound under section 107 and 116 and 49 cases were registered under the excise act, he added.
