Poll officials undertake long treks, boat rides to reach destinations in Nagaland and Meghalaya

GUWAHATI: As the high-voltage campaign for elections in Nagaland and Meghalaya came to an end on Saturday and kicked off the 48-hour silence period before the voting day on Monday, EC's polling personnel are literally walking the extra steps - some travelling to international borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, some climbing as many as 6,000 steps and few lucky ones taking ropeways to reach the polling stations to ensure that "no voter is left behind."

In Nagaland, the remotest polling station (No.7) is located in Phomching constituency in Mon district's Lonwga village, the home of the Konyak Nagas. This polling station is located on the Indo-Myanmar border, which passes through the village and divides the Angh's (village chief) house into two halves - one in India and the other in Myanmar.

Also in Nagaland, polling station 30 in Pungro-Kiphire constituency is located in the foothills of a mountain, Mt Saramati, which is the last stop of trekkers to the mountain.

If these locations do not appear difficult enough, turn to Meghalaya where polling parties arrived at Nongnam polling station in Mawkyrwat constituency in West Khasi Hills district on Saturday after trekking with all the machinery for four hours.

Under Amlarem constituency in Meghalaya lies the Kamsing polling station, the state's farthest polling station, which can be reached only by a boat ride. It has just 35 voters. The polling officials rode the "Boat of Democarcy" to land at Kamsing polling station close to the Indo-Bangla border.

But the mother of all treks is the one to Nongriat polling station in Shella constituency of East Khasi Hills district.

This polling station is accessible only on foot and through the world-famous double-decker living root bridge.

One has to climb up and down 6,000 steps to reach the polling station through the bridge.

"Saluting our polling parties in East Khasi Hills using ropeways to transcend geographical challenges and hilly terrain to ensure that they are fully geared up for voters on 27th February," a tweet from the Meghalaya's chief electoral officer's Twitter handle said.

Polling parties also crossing over rivers and marshes to reach various polling stations in Meghalaya's South Garo Hills and descending down steep mountain slopes and jagged perilous stone paths in Kunongrim in East Khasi Hills district carrying the EVMs in traditional Khasi bamboo baskets.

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