A dedicated team of polling officials in Arunachal Pradesh will be on an extraordinary trek spanning 39 kilometres ahead of the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections polling date on April 19. Their sole mission is to ensure Sokela Tayang, a 44-year-old woman residing in the remote Malogam village of Anjaw district, exercises her constitutional right to vote.
Nestled amidst the breathtaking landscapes near the international border, Malogam village is home to very few families, among which Sokela Tayang stands as the sole registered voter. Despite the logistical challenges posed by the village’s remote location, Tayang remains steadfast in her decision to cast her vote from her familiar surroundings, declining the option to shift to another polling booth.
To facilitate Tayang’s participation in the electoral process, a temporary polling booth will be established within the village itself. The polling team, comprising officials, security personnel, and porters, will embark on a demanding journey through treacherous terrain from Hayuliang to Malogam.
The route, full with challenges like unpredictable weather conditions, displays the team’s unwavering commitment to ensuring every eligible voter exercises their franchise, regardless of geographical barriers.
Joint Chief Electoral Officer Liken Koyu stated Tayang is a voter of the Hayuliang assembly seat and Arunachal East Lok Sabha constituency and “the journey from Hayuliang to Malogam takes a full day on foot”.
Everyone has the right to cast his or her vote no matter how remote the location is, Koyu said adding, “The polling team might have to be in the booth from 7 am to 5 pm on the voting day as we don’t know when Tayang would come to cast her vote.”
Chief Electoral Officer Pawan Kumar Sain mentioned, “It is not always numbers but to ensure that every citizen gets his or her voice heard. Sokela Tayang’s vote is a testament to our commitment to inclusivity and equality.”
However, the lone voter “hardly stays in” Malogam as her daughter and son study in colleges elsewhere and she usually visits her village “for some work or during elections”. She mentioned, “I usually stay at Wakro in Lohit district, where I have farmlands.”
During the 2014 elections, the Malogam polling booth accommodated two voters, including Tayang’s estranged husband Janelum Tayang, who subsequently transferred his voter registration to another booth within the constituency.
“We have been separated for the last 15 years. I am unaware of his current whereabouts,” she explained. Tayang affirmed her intention to return home by the evening of April 18 to exercise her voting rights.
Out of a total of 2,226 polling stations in the State, 228 can only be accessed by foot. Among these, 61 necessitate a two-day trek, while seven demand a three-day trek. Nomination scrutiny is scheduled for March 28, with the deadline for withdrawal set for March 30. Counting of Assembly poll votes is slated for June 2, while Lok Sabha votes will be counted on June 4.
