No polling station nearby, Arunachal village set to boycott elections

ITANAGAR: Voters of the remote Bagjam village under Tali Assembly constituency in Kra Daadi district have decided to boycott the April 11 simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in protest against non-fulfilment of their demand for a

polling station

at their locality.

A group of 39 voters from Bagjam conveyed this in a signed representation to the chief electoral officer (CEO) here.

“Several representations had been made to DEO (Kra Daadi) and your esteemed office but no corrective measure has been taken nor our grievances redressed,” the letter says.

Bagjam, a revenue census village located in the remote Pipsorang circle under Kra Daadi district, has 111 voters as per the latest electoral rolls.

To cast their votes, they have to travel to the Lukbia polling station, which is 8 km away from their village. Moreover, there are natural barriers – two big rivers, Pare and Sulu, and tough terrain – between the two locations. This, despite an Election Commission notification on May 7, 2018 which says, “The electors of so merged/attached polling station are not required to travel more than two kilometre distance and to cross any natural barriers.”

Citing the instance of Malogam, where a polling station is being set up for the one voter in the area, they said, “For a single voter, a polling station can be created ... It is a sort of harassment to the electorate to exercise adult franchise in a far flung location without any road communication ... The very concept of ECI ‘greater participation for a stronger democracy’ will fail.”