Tamil Nadu assembly election: It takes 3-hour trek for officials to reach Theni polling booth of 5 voters

THENI: Election Commission of India named Varasanadu hill in Theni district as one among several remote polling stations its officials will have to reach during the assembly election to five states next month. Located at Duraisamy Maragatham aided elementary school, polling booth no 245 serves just five voters and lies on the northern side of Varasanadu hill range in Vellimalai estate. It falls under Andipatti assembly constituency and caters to an isolated settlement of cardamom estate workers, who live and toil in the dense greenery of the Western Ghats. The current electoral roll for this station lists only three men and two women, yet the logistical machinery required to reach them is as immense as that of a high-density urban centre. Located 65 kilometres from the district headquarters of Theni, the journey from Andipatti to Vellimalai is a three-hour trek through difficult terrain and narrow hilly pathways that test the endurance of officials and vehicles. District authorities have designated a separate zonal officer exclusively for this booth. This ensures that electronic voting machines and essential polling materials are transported through the landscape and delivered securely.While the establishment of a full polling station for a handful of voters may seem extraordinary, officials emphasise that it is a necessary measure to ensure accessibility, sparing plantation workers a long and arduous journey through the hills to exercise their democratic rights.The history of the high-altitude booth shows a fluctuating but dedicated voter base. During the 2021 assembly election, the station recorded 82.35% turnout, with 14 out of 17 registered voters casting their ballots. By the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the voter count dwindled to six, with 4 votes polled to record a 66.6% turnout.Theni district collector Ranjeet Singh told TOI that access to the station was good, with proper roads. "As the voters of the area were already on patta land, we cannot shift them from their location. So, we decided to let them vote at their place," he said. The challenging thing is that it lies in the forest area and a tiger reserve sharing the border of Virudhunagar district.