In a bid to ensure that every voter in Jammu and Kashmir can cast their ballot, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the establishment of unique polling stations, including three floating ones on the iconic Dal Lake.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar unveiled these plans while announcing the schedule for the upcoming assembly elections.
The move is part of the ECI’s commitment to making voting accessible even in the most remote and challenging locations.
The three floating polling stations will be located on Dal Lake, with polling teams transported on ferries and Shikaras. Among them, Khar Mohalla Aabi Karpora stands out, serving just three voters.
“This underscores our commitment to ensuring that every citizen, no matter how remote their location, has the opportunity to vote,” Kumar stated.
In addition to the floating stations, the ECI is also setting up a polling station in Koragbal, located in the Gurez assembly constituency along the Line of Control (LoC).
This station will cater exclusively to a 100% Scheduled Tribe population. Remarkably, this polling station recorded an 80.01% voter turnout in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Kupwara district’s Seemari polling station is another example of the ECI’s efforts to reach out to voters in far-flung areas.
The focus on these remote regions follows the high voter turnout witnessed in previously inaccessible and militancy-affected areas like Shopian, Pulwama, and Anantnag in South Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections.
This assembly election will be the first in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and its reorganisation as a Union Territory.
The ECI’s measures reflect its determination to include every voter in this historic election.
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