CEC walks 18 km to remotest polling station of Uttarakhand

New Delhi: Setting an example for others, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar visited Dumak, which is the remotest polling station in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district. It's for the first time that a Chief Election Commissioner has visited the remotest polling station by travelling on foot a distance of 18 kms as there is no motorable road to connect the village.

After landing at Pipalkoti on the Badrinath National Highway by helicopter, the Chief Election Commissioner first went by road to Kimana village from where he reached Dumak village on foot.

The CEC was accompanied by Uttarakhand's Chief Electoral officer Soujanya and other officials. The CEC also shared with election staff the problems being faced by them in a remote polling station like Dumak during election time. The CEC also held a meeting with the villagers.

"After taking over as the Chief Election Commissioner, I am starting my work from this remote polling station in the state. There are such remote polling stations in many parts of the country. Through this yatra, along with encouraging the officers working in these remote polling stations, we will try to reduce the difficulties faced by the officers during polling at such centres," he said.

Citing the example of Dumak village, the Chief Election Commissioner said, "The polling station of this village witnessed a voter turnout of 80 per cent in the state assembly polls in which there was tremendous participation of elderly voters as well as physically challenged voters and women."

"It happens very rarely in urban and well-to-do areas."