Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar's recent arduous climb to one of the farthest polling stations in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand and the learnings from it have resulted in the poll body taking some important decisions on Tuesday, including increasing the remuneration of polling personnel deployed in remote and difficult polling stations. It also addressed the issue of non-participation of migrant voters in polls.
The Commission held a meeting on Tuesday, under the chairmanship of the CEC Kumar, which took note of the details of his visit to one of the farthest polling stations in Dumak village and Kalgoth village of Chamoli district.
Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey too gave insights from his experience as district magistrate of Pithoragarh.
It was discussed that polling parties travel around 18km on foot in tough hilly terrains three days prior to the polling day. They also carry and protect the entire election material, including EVMs and VVPATs. Three days of arduous commute is required to reach the polling stations in 440 remote areas.
During the interactions, the CEC was informed that remote areas like Dumak village had a 71.14 per cent voter turnout, and Kalgoth recorded 80.45 per cent voter turnout in recent elections. Female voters participated in equal numbers.
It was noted that in villages like Dumak and Kalgoth, about 20-25 per cent registered voters are unable to cast their vote in their constituencies as they are required to move out of their village or even the state on account of their jobs or educational pursuits. It was discussed that the situation opens up the opportunity to explore the possibility of facilitating remote voting by migrant voters.
The Commission observed that in contrast, during the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, quite a few urban constituencies saw poor—less than 50 per cent—voter turnout. It expressed concern over the abysmally low voter turnout in some of the metropolitan areas despite the fact that polling stations are set up within two km for any voter in urban areas.
Acknowledging the dedication of personnel who perform election duty in remote and difficult areas, the Commission decided to double the remuneration of the officials going to polling stations three days in advance.
Over the years, various new roads have been constructed in rural areas. Taking this into consideration, it was decided that the route map for remote polling stations will be re-examined to determine the shortest and safest route to the booths.
The Commission noted that while the EVM-VVPAT machines have been technologically designed to get triggered in ‘Unauthorised Access Mode’ whenever there is any unauthorised attempt to open them, special water and shock-proof, extra protective backpacks and cases will be provided to carry the machines in difficult terrains.
The Commission directed all district level electoral officers and returning officers to visit remote polling booths one year in advance before Lok Sabha and assembly polls. Chief electoral officers will also visit some polling stations, it was decided.
The Commission said five booths that has the lowest voter turnout will be identified in each assembly constituency and election officials will visit these booths to learn about the reasons for the poor turnout.
For voters who migrate from the place of their registration to cities and other places for education, employment and other purposes, the time has come to explore the possibility of remote voting, even if it is on a pilot basis to begin with, it said. A committee would be set up to examine the issues of migrant voters.
