Shimla: Himachal Pradesh’s highest polling station in Chask Bhatori village in Bharmour assembly in Chamba district, located at an altitude of 4,500 metre (14,760 Feet), where the polling party has to trudge 14-km arduous journey to reach there, state chief electoral officer Maneesh Garg said on Saturday.
He 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. Chask Bhatori polling booth.
The Election Department has set up 7,881 polling stations for the November 12 polls to 68-member Assembly.
Kangra, state’s largest district, has 1,625 polling stations while Lahaul-Spiti district has the lowest of 92.
There are 7,235 polling stations in rural areas and 646 in urban areas, an official statement said.
Garg said the Ka polling booth in Kinnaur district has the lowest number of voters in the state.
“The Ka polling station has only six voters — the lowest in the state. The highest number of voters (1,511) is at Sidhbari polling station in the Dharamsala assembly constituency,” he said.
Chask Bhatori and Ka polling stations are part of the sprawling Mandi parliamentary constituency that covers almost two-thirds of the hill state.
For the assembly polls, three auxiliary polling stations — Sidhbari (Dharamsala), Bara Bhangal (Baijnath) and Dhillon (Kasauli) — will also be set up.
Chamba, a remote district, has the maximum number of 1,459 voters in the Manola polling station in Dalhousie, while Bharmour has only 84 voters.
Kangra, state’s biggest district, having 15 assembly constituencies has the highest 1,511 voters in Sidhabari, while the lowest polling station is Kalangan in Nurpur having 75 voters. The remotest polling station in the district is Manch in the Shahpur constituency where the polling party has to walk seven km.
Another remote district, Lahaul-Spiti, has 811 voters in Kaza, while Lingar has only 38 voters.
In Kullu district, the Manali constituency has Chichonga polling station with 1,305 voters, while Banjar’s polling station Tilga has the least number of 89 voters. For the Shakti polling station in Banjar AC, polling parties have to trudge 10 km.
Mandi, the second largest district having 10 assembly seats, has the highest 1,403 voters in the Chaugan polling station under the Sundernagar constituency, while the lowest 95 voters at the Jarathu polling station. Manjhagan is the remote polling station in the district where the polling party has to walk 10 km to reach there.
The Hamirpur constituency has the highest number of 1,283 voters in the Swahal polling station, while the Barsar constituency has the lowest number of 105 voters at Balh Dhatwalian polling station.
In Sirmaur district, a maximum number of 1,423 voters are in Devinagar of the Paonta Sahib constituency, while Anagli polling station has only 112 voters. Bobri under the Shillai constituency is the remote polling station, where the polling party has to walk five km to reach there.
Comprising eight assembly constituencies, Shimla district has maximum 1,298 voters in the Charoli polling station in Chopal assembly, while only the Summerhill polling station under the Shimla (Urban) constituency has the minimum of 33 voters. The polling party has to cover a distance of 7 km to reach Pandar, a remote polling booth in the Rohru constituency.
A total of 55,92,828 electors, which includes 67,559 service electors and 22 NRIs, are eligible to exercise their franchise on the November 12 Assembly polls. The ballots will be counted on December 8.
A seasoned journalist with over two decades of experience, Vishal writes on a wide range of subjects which include biodiversity, climate change and links between environment & development. He also covers politics and other developments in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. He lives in Chandigarh & Shimla.
