Lok Sabha Election Battle in Full Swing in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla, March 17

The battleground for the Lok Sabha elections has been set ablaze in Himachal Pradesh. Along with the four Lok Sabha seats, by-elections will also take place in six assembly constituencies – Dharamshala, Sujanpur, Badsar, Gagret, Kutlehar, and Lahaul-Spiti. The Election Commission has announced the dates. With a total of 56,38,422 voters in the state, the responsibility now lies with the citizens to fulfill their duty by voting in large numbers. According to statistics released by the State Election Department on Saturday, March 15, 2024, the total number of voters in the state is 56,38,422, comprising 28,79,200 males, 27,59,187 females, and 35 third gender voters. The most significant responsibility lies with the 23,95,323 young voters aged between 18 and 40.

To elect a better parliament and government, it is imperative for them to cast their votes, while also ensuring the participation of elderly and differently-abled voters. After this, the opportunity to choose the preferred government will come again after five years. Among the young voters, 11,79,674 will be pressing the EVM button for the first time. This time, the State Election Department has set a target of 76% voter turnout, compared to 72.42% in the previous Lok Sabha elections. Chief Electoral Officer Manish Garg stated that special efforts are being made to increase voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections. He also mentioned that people will be made aware of the provisions for action against any form of temptation given by political parties or candidates to voters.

Every polling center in the state will use VVPAT along with EVM (Electronic Voting Machine). A reserve of 30% EVMs and VVPATs will be kept so that in case of any technical glitches, machines can be replaced immediately. Besides one Presiding Officer, three Polling Officers will be deployed at each polling center. During voting, voter slips with photos will be used for identification.

Tashigang in Lahaul-Spiti is the polling booth situated at the highest altitude in Himachal Pradesh, at an elevation of 15,256 feet above sea level. Tashigang holds the record for being the world’s highest polling booth. Conversely, the polling center at Dhussar-2 in Chintpurni constituency, located at the minimum altitude from sea level, is at 300 feet.

In comparison to the previous Lok Sabha elections, 260 additional polling centers have been established in this election. In 2019, there were 7,730 polling centers in the state, while this time, there will be 7,990. Provision has been made to establish another polling center wherever the number of voters is higher than usual. Since voters can cast their votes until the last day of nomination for Lok Sabha elections, the number of voters will increase, necessitating the establishment of new polling centers.

A new provision for the cut-off date has been implemented for voting. Qualifying dates have been set for January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. If anyone turns 18 on these dates, they are eligible to vote. Advance applications have been provisioned for this. So far, 8654 advance applications have been received for April 1. These applicants are currently over 17 years old but will be included in the voter list.

Complaints of violating the Model Code of Conduct during the Lok Sabha elections can be filed on the C-Vigil app. The status report of the complaint will be received within 100 minutes. Users can also create photo/audio/video evidence through the app for the complaint. The special feature of the app is that complaints can be made without revealing the user’s details. The location of the incident will be automatically geo-tagged when the camera of the app is turned on.

**New Voters Will Be Registered Until the Last Day of Nomination**

New voters can be registered until the last day of nomination. Applications must be submitted 10 days in advance. In Himachal, the gender ratio is 979. Of those over 85 years old, 60995 voters and over 40% physically disabled voters can vote from home. A 12-D form must be filled out for this. Each polling station will use one EVM and VVPAT.

Officers who are currently engaged in work or residing where they live will not be put on election duty. Deployment will be done through software. Additional polling officers will be deployed at polling stations with more than 1200 voters to ensure that voters face no inconvenience.

Documents such as Voter ID, Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Specific Disability ID, Service ID, Photo Passbook of Bank or Post Office, Health Insurance Smart Card (Ministry of Labor), Driving License, Passport, Pension Document, MLA-MP Identity Card, MNREGA Job Card, and Smart Card issued by Population Registrar General can be used as identification documents for voting.

Polling officers will be sent to Bada Bhangal in Baijnath by helicopter as it takes three days to reach there by road. The polling center furthest from Bada Bhangal is Aihalmy in Bharmour, where polling officers will determine the distance by boat. There are 97 voters here.

In Himachal Pradesh, three assembly constituencies – Jwalamukhi, Sulah, and Jogindernagar – have more than 100,000 voters each. Sulah has the highest number of voters, with 1,01,125, while Lahaul-Spiti has the fewest, with 25,041 voters.

After the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, new financial approvals cannot be granted, and there will be no laying of foundation stones or inaugurations of new projects. New deployment will not take place. Only the process of the Public Service Commission will continue. All government offices, websites, ministers, and political personalities’ pictures and posters will be removed. Flying squads will monitor this. The use of loudspeakers between 10 PM and 6 AM will be prohibited to prevent noise pollution.

After the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect, no new beneficiaries will be added to any scheme.

Dummy wallet paper will be available at every polling center for visually impaired voters. Additionally, Braille will be available on EVMs. Extra security personnel will be deployed at 425 sensitive polling centers. Government vehicles and helicopters cannot be used in election activities. Only the Chief Minister, ministers, CPs, presidents, vice-presidents, and

party leaders will be provided with security. After the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect, action will be taken against officers and employees who hamper the election process or show favoritism towards any political party.