Election Commission launches ‘Mission 414’ campaign in Himachal Pradesh to boost voter turnout

The Election Commission has launched a special campaign in Himachal Pradesh to boost voter turnout in 414 polling stations with less than 60% voting during the last Lok Sabha polls.

Objectives and Strategies

Increasing Voter Turnout:

• Conducting awareness campaigns and cultural events.
• Designating identified stations as model polling stations.
• Involving booth youth icons and distributing special invitation cards to prospective voters.

Targeted Interventions:

• Initiatives to increase turnout in 22 assembly segments with less than 70% voting.
• Implementing door-to-door outreach programs to motivate voters.

Focus on Women Voters:

• Appointing ‘Mahila Preraks’ (motivators) in gram panchayats to encourage women to vote.
• Engaging women icons and campus ambassadors to reach out to working women and housewives.

Election Management Measures

Enhanced Polling Station Supervision:

• Increasing the number of polling stations to 7,990, with 150 exclusively supervised by women officers.
• Assigning 54 stations to youth officers and 29 to officers with disabilities.

Special Voter Facilities:

• Providing home voting facilities for PwD voters and those above 85 years.
• Catering to 56,320 PwD voters and 60,995 voters aged above 85 years in the state.

Voter Demographics and Projections

Demographic Statistics:

• Total eligible voters: 56,38,422, comprising men, women, and third-gender individuals.
• Notable demographics include 1,38,918 first-time voters and 10,40,756 voters aged 20-29.

Expected Increase in Youth Voters:

• Anticipating a rise in youth voters as advance applications from the 17-plus age group reaching 18 are received.

Electoral Regulations

Expenditure Limits:

• Rs 95 lakh for Lok Sabha polls and Rs 40 lakh for assembly bypolls.

Unique Polling Stations

Extreme Locations:

• Tashigang polling station in Lahaul and Spiti, located at an altitude of 15,256 feet, is the highest in the country.

Voter Distribution:

• Manola polling station in Dalhousie has the highest number of voters (1,410), while Kaa polling station in Kinnaur has the lowest (16 voters).