Lok Sabha Elections 2019: At 15,256 ft, Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh is world’s highest polling station

lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Mar 27, 2019 16:04 IST

Tucked away deep in trans-Himalayas, Tashigang, a small Himachal Pradesh village at an altitude of 15,256 feet, is now the highest polling station in the world.

The polling station falls in Buddhist-dominated Lahaul-Spiti, one of the 17 assembly segments that form the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, the second largest constituency in India.

The sleepy hamlet of Tashigang also holds the title of highest village in Spiti valley.

Earlier, the non-descript tiny settlement of Hikkim, positioned at an altitude of about 14,400 ft, was the highest polling station in the country.

Situated at about 29 km from the India-China border, the polling station covers two villages— Tashigang and Gete. As per the revised electoral rolls, the two villages have 48 voters, of which 30 are men and 18 women.

Seventy eight-year-old Rigjin is the oldest voter in the two villages.

Initially, election officials had intended to set up the polling booth at Gete village, but shifted it to Tashigang as the government school building there was not found safe.

Tashigang is connected with a road which is currently closed for traffic due to snow.

Lahual-Spiti deputy commissioner-cum-district electoral officer Ashwani Chaudhari said the road connectivity to the village would be restored once the weather improved.

Voters would not face any difficulty in reaching the polling booth, Chaudhari said, adding that it had all other necessary facilities like power and water supply.

The polling station, however, lacks mobile connectivity and election officials will use a satellite phone during polls on May 19.