Tashigang in ‘icy’ Himalayas hosts highest polling station in world

Located near the India-China border, the Spiti valley is part of the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, one of the four parliamentary constituencies in Himachal Pradesh

Tashigang: Prem Lal arrived early at the sub-divisional magistrate’s office on Thursday, the icy cold and crisp morning air hinting at the challenges ahead. As one of the 29 booth-level officers deployed from Kaza to polling stations in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, Lal knew that the next few days would be demanding.

Wearing sunglasses to shield his eyes from the glaring sun, the trained graduate teacher joined others in a semi-circle. The SDM, carrying a bunch of papers clipped together, called out the names of the poll-booth officers and their assignments.

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It is Tashigang for Lal and his team of five others. Tashigang is a tiny village perched high in the icy Himalayas at a staggering altitude of 15,256 feet. The village holds the distinction of hosting the highest polling station in the world.

Located near the India-China border, the Spiti valley is part of the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, one of the four parliamentary constituencies in Himachal Pradesh and the second largest in India. Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is up against the Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh from the seat.

The polling station at Tashigang, serving 62 voters from Tashigang and Gete, has been made a model polling booth. The hour-and-a-half-long journey to Tashigang, located on the other side of a mountain facing the SDM’s office in Kaza, is as formidable as the landscape itself — rugged terrain, narrow winding dirt roads and unpredictable weather.

Yet, for Lal and his team, the assignment carries a sense of purpose. In a place where the harsh environment shapes every aspect of life, facilitating the democratic process is both a “duty and an honour”. “I have been part of a team that conducted elections at Hikkim (also in the Spiti valley), the second-highest polling station in the country, in the past. So I have some experience,” Lal said, laughing as he walked to board a white Bolero car with an electronic voting machine (EVM) in his hands.

After a brief pause, he added, “Thoda dikkat to hoga (there will be some difficulties),” acknowledging the challenges ahead, especially for those unaccustomed to such a difficult terrain with no mobile connectivity and limited power supply. But the polling preparations are meticulous.

“The team will get a satellite phone and runners will be deployed to relay polling data to the headquarters,” Additional District Commissioner Rahul Jain said. “The terrain is tough, but our teams are committed and we have made all the preparations,” he added.

As the journey commenced, the paved road quickly gave way to a narrow and uneven dirt path. The brown hills on either side were dotted with white pools of snow, slowly melting in the sun. At some places, water from the melting snow accumulated on the dirt road, making it dangerous to drive through.

The landscape was breathtaking but completely desolate — a few houses were visible only because of their bright colours against the brown hills. There is nothing for miles in between, and with no or very limited mobile connectivity, tourists frequently lose their way. The yellow-coloured polling station with the tricolour painted on its front is perched high on a hill, bleakly empty.

There is barely any vegetation, barring wild grasses. “Highest polling station of India, Tashigang – 72. Altitude – 4,650 metres,” read a message painted in blue and white on the front wall. “Swagatam. We heartily welcome all the voters to the world’s highest polling station,” is written in Hindi on the welcome board, adorned with colourful frills. On reaching the polling station, a Gujarat police personnel accompanying the polling party stepped outside and tried calling home, only to find that there was no network.

“Lag nahi raha hai (the call is not going through),” Takor Mahtoji chuckled, tension replacing the smile on his face. “This is the first time that I have scaled such heights. Temperatures here are bone-chilling for someone who is not used to such cold conditions. I did not carry warm clothes and bought new ones after reaching Kaza,” Mahtoji said.

Kumar Prince, the micro-observer for the election at the Tashigang polling station, is a bank clerk from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur. “Temperatures are reaching 50 degrees Celsius in other parts of the country. Here, it is a different world. I hope everyone has got enough warm clothes,” he said.