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A cycling expedition aimed at creating awareness among the voters because of the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections-2024 and Assembly bye-elections was flagged off by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maneesh Garg from the historic Ridge in Shimla today. 

The expedition will culminate at the world's highest polling station located at Tashigang (15256 feet) in Spiti Valley of tribal Lahaul & Spiti district on May 20, 2024.

The CEO said that this seven-day cycling expedition from Shimla to Tashigang will create awareness among voters, especially first-timers.

He said that six people are participating in the cycling rally, out of which State election icon Jaspreet Paul and his team member Kshitij will go from Shimla to Tashigang while the other four cyclists will be part of this expedition till Narkanda.

This expedition will go to Tashigang via Theog, Narkanda, Rampur, Reckong Peo, Nako, Kaza, Hikkim and Komic.

It is pertinent to mention that the expedition will pay tribute to the First Voter of India Late Shyam Saran Negi on May 16 at Kalpa.  

Garg said that the main objective of this event was to ensure the participation of maximum people in this election. 

He said the distance between Shimla to Kaza is 414 kilometers which also coincides with the Election Department's Mission 414 Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative. This Mission is aimed at increasing the voting percentage at 414 polling stations, where the voting percentage was low in LSE-2019.

He said that this time nearly three per cent of total voters in the electoral rolls would exercise their franchise for the first time and this expedition would go a long way in engaging and sensitising the youth about their right to vote.

The CEO said that the Election Department was organising various types of events from time to time intending to make people aware of voting.

In this series, cycling rallies have been planned in nine districts on 25 and 26 May 2024. Participation of maximum youth will be ensured in these rallies so that the voting percentage can be increased.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dalip Negi, Returning Officer and District Electoral Officer, Anupam Kashyap, Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, Additional District Electoral Officer Abhishek Verma and Officer on Special Duty (OSD) SVEEP, Neeraj Sharma and other officers were present.