World’s highest polling station, Tashigang in Himachal, sees 79 per cent turnout

Shimla, May 29 (IANS) A testament of dedication to the cause of democracy was visible at the world’s highest polling station Tashigang, located at a height of 15,256 feet above sea level, in the Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti Valley, as it recorded a poll percentage of 79 per cent in voting to the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency on Saturday, a poll official said. Out of the 62 registered voters, 49 exercised their franchise.”Thirteen voters could not exercise their franchise as they were out of the village,” a state government official told IANS over the phone.”I am excited to cast my vote,” said first-time voter Kunzok Tenzin of Tashigang village.Donning traditional dress, Additional Deputy Commissioner Rahul Jain welcomed electors at the Tashigang polling station.In the 2022 Assembly polls and the 2019 general elections, this polling station recorded 100 per cent polling.Declared a model polling station by the Election Commission of India (ECI), it falls in Lahaul-Spiti district which has the lowest electorate — 25,273 — in the state.Twenty-nine polling stations were set up in Spiti, which has a total of 8,514 voters — 4,366 men and 4,148 women. The climatic conditions in Spiti are harsh as much of the land is a cold desert. The Spiti Valley has 13 gram panchayats, mainly populated by Buddhist tribal farmers.Electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines for Kaza, the subdivision of Spiti some 320 km from the state capital Shimla, were dropped by an Indian Air Force helicopter.–IANSvg/vd