Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh: Two polling stations in a remote part of Arunachal Pradesh have just three voters each, but election officials have already arrived with the necessary materials for the October 13 assembly polls.
Robi Chand Chakma, 41, is excited about the assembly elections. He and his two younger brothers, Ratana, 35, and Chitra, 30, will exercise their franchise at the Upper Mudoi Deep polling station in Changlang district.
"It is a matter of great pride as there are just three voters and all from the same family," Robi told IANS.
Apart from the Upper Mudoi Deep polling station in Changlang, about 900 km east of state capital Itanagar, the other booth is Mramboo in the Dibang Valley district, which too has just three voters.
The Upper Mudoi Deep village, bordering Myanmar, is an inaccessible area. Polling officials had to trek for hours to reach the station with literally no roads existing.
Although the three contesting candidates from the Bordumsa assembly constituency (Upper Mudoi Deep polling station falls under the Bordumsa seat) have never visited the village to campaign, Robi and his two brothers, all of them into agriculture, are determined to cast their votes.
"It is our democratic right and we are going to vote for the best candidate," Ratana said.
All that the three brothers expect from whoever wins the election is to take up some development measures in the area.
The ruling Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have fielded candidates for the Bordumsa seat.
There are several polling stations that have less than 10 voters.
"Even if there is just one voter we have to make all the arrangements and accordingly we are doing the same even this time as well," an election official said.
There are several polling stations that can be reached only after a five-day trek from the nearest motor head.
"We have also used the services of helicopters for carrying poll personnel and materials for the vote," the official said.
Elections to the 60-member legislature is scheduled Oct 13, although voting would be for just 57 seats with three candidates already declared elected unopposed.
A total of 157 candidates are in the fray for the polls. An estimated 750,000 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. Security arrangements have been put in place in the around 2,000 polling booths in the state.
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