Itanagar: A batch of 40 election officials, including police personnel, was airlifted to four remote polling stations in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kra Daadi district to facilitate polling for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections scheduled for April 19.
The officials, accompanied by Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), were transported on Monday to the polling stations situated at Pip-Sorang circle in the isolated district bordering China, news agency PTI reported.
This airlift operation was conducted in two sorties using an MI-172 chopper operated by Skyone Airways, as confirmed by an official from the state election commission.
Further airlifting of additional polling teams to remote polling stations, where road communication is challenging, will be undertaken based on the requirements of the respective district electoral officers (DEOs) of various districts, the official added.
The election personnel airlifted on Monday will be stationed at Tali, the ADC headquarters of Kra Daadi district. From there, they will embark on a foot march to reach the Pip-Sorang circle.
Each polling team comprises approximately 10 members, including a presiding officer, two polling officers, a polling attendant, and security personnel. The four polling stations in the Pip-Sorang circle are Tedung, Pip-Sorang, Kharsang, and Korapu.
Out of the total 2,226 polling stations in Arunachal Pradesh, 228 can only be accessed via foot march. To reach 61 of these polling stations, a two-day foot march is required, while in seven other booths, polling officials must march for three days to reach their designated locations.
Meanwhile, the first batch of polling teams, accompanied by essential election materials including EVMs and VVPATs, departed for the remote polling stations of Gasseng and Gate in Siang district.
These stations, located in the challenging terrains of Payum circle, are among the most inaccessible areas in the region.
The teams, which will cover the journey on foot, are scheduled to halt overnight at Molo before embarking on a three-day trek to their respective stations.
This deployment is part of the preparations for the upcoming elections under the Rumgong assembly constituency and the Arunachal West parliamentary constituency.
Officials explained that the arrangement includes each team being equipped with one presiding officer, four polling officers, fifteen attendants/porters, and two policemen.
They are also carrying four sets of EVMs and VVPATs, including reserves, to ensure the smooth conduct of polling.
Following this initial dispatch, additional teams assigned to seven other polling stations requiring a two-day march will set out on April 17 from Boleng, the district headquarters, emphasizing the rigorous efforts undertaken to facilitate voting in these remote locations.
Arunachal Pradesh will witness simultaneous polls for two Lok Sabha seats – Western Parliamentary and Eastern Parliamentary constituencies, along with 50 assembly seats in the first phase on April 19.
The counting of votes for the assembly and Lok Sabha polls is scheduled for June 2 and June 4, respectively. (With inputs from PTI)
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