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).