Darjeeling, April 24 -- Four-wheel drive vehicles, standby ponies and an intermediate strong room - are all the unique components required for polls in the three remote P-2 booths in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency.
P-2 booths are remote booths where polling personnel have to depart two days before the polling day as opposed to a single day (P-1) owing to unmotorable stretches. There are some P-2 booths in South 24-Parganas and three in Darjeeling. Owing to better road connectivity and closer proximity of the polling stations from the Disbursing Centre and Receiving Centre, P-2 booths in Kalimpong district have been done away with. In 2006, there were 16 P-2 booths in the Darjeeling district in total that included the Kalimpong Sub-Division which had 14 P-2 booths. "From Darjeeling, the polling personnel departed on Wednesday for Shrikhola at a distance of 106 km. From Shrikhola, the three teams will depart for the three booths on
Thursday morning," stated Richard Lepcha, Election OC, 23 constituency.
Darjeeling goes to polls on April 26. One team will go to Daragaon Junior High School (1034 voters) travelling 17 km by four-wheel drive vehicle and then around 6 km on foot. Another team will go to Rammam Forest Primary School (209 electors) covering 19 km by vehicle and half km on foot. The third team will depart for Samanden Forest Primary School (213 voters) covering 26 km by vehicle and 7 km on foot. "All measures have been taken. Ponies have been kept on standby in case the vehicles breakdown. Reserve EVMs have been sent for all three polling stations in case of malfunction. 1 Sector Officer and 3 Assistant Sector Officers have been sent owing to the terrain" added Lepcha, talking to Millennium Post. "It is an adventure for me. I will carry out my duty as well as see the place" stated Ajay Gupta, poll personnel.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.