Widespread snow and extreme cold climatic conditions in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday has not impacted arrangements for the Assembly polls on Saturday, say election officials. Even the voters are gung-ho over their participation in record despite extreme climatic conditions, reports said.
Officials told IANS that at a majority of 92 polling stations for a population of 31,538 in Lahaul-Spiti district — out of the state’s 7,881 booths — there was widespread overnight snowfall.
Winter Wonderland
The polling booths in the district, a cold desert dotted by tiny helmets spread over the Himalayan peaks, adjoining Tibet, are scattered over rugged and inhospitable terrain where poll officials have to trek hours to reach there.
“The polling material has already reached all polling stations across the state, including the remotest stations,” Neeraj Kumar, officer on special duty with the state election department, told IANS in Shimla. He said the election staff at the far-off polling booths would reach by Friday, a day ahead of the election.
“Our election staff is highly motivated. So are the electorates. This time we will see a record polling of over 80 per cent,” he added. In the 2017 Assembly polls, a record 75.57 per cent polling, highest in four decades, was experienced.
At that time too the Congress and the BJP were locked in a straight contest.
A Historic Snowfall Combat
Electorates of remote Kinnaur, Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti districts, part of the sprawling Mandi parliamentary constituency that covers almost two-thirds of the state, have a special place in the history of democracy in independent India as they were the first to exercise their franchise months ahead of the rest of the nation for the first general elections between December 1951 and February 1952.
This was done to ensure that snowfall did not deprive the tribals of the privilege of exercising their franchise. “Till early 1990’s there were no proper roads. The ballot boxes were transported on horseback,” said octogenarian Tashi Tenzing of Tholang village in the Lahaul Valley.
Gian Bodh, a school teacher, from Nako village in Kinnaur, told IANS: “I still remember my grandfather trudging to reach the nearby polling station located some 20 km from our house. Now it is located in the village itself.”
As per the records of the state election department, Shyam Saran Negi, 106, was the first voter of independent India who cast his vote at the polling booth in Kinnaur’s Kalpa village on October 25, 1951. Just three days after casting his 34th vote for the forthcoming polls, he passed away at his native place on November 5.
A Polling Station Close to India-China Border
Kinnaur district also boasts of the polling station with the least number of voters in the state. “The Kaa polling station near Yangthang has just six voters – the lowest in the state,” chief electoral officer Maneesh Garg said.
Octogenarian Durga Negi, a retired teacher from Tashigang, located at 15,256 feet in Spiti valley, said: “Earlier we used to walk miles to cast votes. Now the better road network has made the polling station accessible.” Located close to the India-China border, the polling station at Tashigang covers 52 voters of Tashigang and Gete villages.
Himachal Pradesh’s highest polling station in Chask Bhatori village in Bharmour assembly, located at an altitude of 4,500 metre, where the polling party has to trudge 14-km arduous journey to reach there.
Garg said 26 people are eligible to cast their votes at the Chask Bhatori, situated at an altitude of 4,500 metres in Sechu panchayat of the Pangi tribal area.
The Election Department has set up 7,881 polling stations for the November 12 polls to the 68-member Assembly.
Wedding Muhurat Clash With Gujarat Polls
The Gujarat Assembly election dates next month will coincide with the marriage season when a large number of people are likely to remain busy planning and participating in such events, wedding planners have said. However, some political leaders said they will try to convince people to take some time out from their social engagements to cast vote.
According to wedding pundits, dates like December 2, 4, and 8 are among the most auspicious for marriages and hundreds of wedding functions are planned during that time. The Gujarat Assembly polls will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.
The marriage season will get busy from November 22 and last until the beginning of ‘kamurta’ period from December 16 when no auspicious events are planned, as per some wedding planners, PTI reported.
They said hundreds of weddings are planned between November 22 and December 16, with a large number of events scheduled on the auspicious dates of December 2, 4 and 8.
People Excited to Vote After Covid-lift
Since COVID-19-related restrictions like night curfew and limit on the number of guests have been lifted, the number of wedding events planned this winter season has risen sharply, they said.
“There is a wedding rush and a large number of such functions are planned this season,” Anand Thakrar from The Shadi Planner, a Vadodara-based firm, told PTI.
“Since the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, the number of guests at wedding functions is also seen increasing sharply to 500-1,000 people. This is also a key difference compared to last year,” he said.
Priest Kamlesh Trivedi from Ahmedabad said the auspicious wedding dates are between November 25 and December 14, before the nearly month-long ‘kamurta’ period starts on December 16.
“A large number of weddings are planned on the ‘muhurat’ dates – November 28, 29 and December 2, 4, and 8, which are around the election schedule,” Trivedi said.
Will Convince People to Attend Weddings, Say Politicians
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi noted that people have scheduled weddings and cannot defer them for elections. “But, we will try to convince them to take some time out to cast vote. A marriage is important no doubt, but they can take out some time to participate in this celebration of democracy,” he said.
Doshi claimed the people of Gujarat have made up their mind for a change and will find a way out from their social engagements, including weddings, to exercise their franchise.
Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Karan Barot said, “It is the responsibility of the people to ensure the victory of a good candidate, irrespective of which political party he/she belongs to.”
Hence, they are requested to vote for their favourite local leader, even if it means taking out some time from their social commitments, he said.
“As a political party, we would like to request them that even as they have to attend weddings or other functions, they must make sure the good candidates win irrespective of the political parties they represent,” Barot added.
Of the total 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat, voting in 89 seats will be held on December 1 and in 93 seats on December 5.
With inputs from IANS, PTI
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