CEO Himachal Manish Garg today flagged off Cycling Expedition to Tashigang, the World's Highest Polling Station, Ahead of Himachal Pradesh Polls on June 1st..
SHIMLA: In a bid to promote voter awareness and preserve the Himalayan region's ecological heritage amidst climate change concerns, CEO Himachal Pradesh, Sh. Maneesh Garg, kickstarted a cycling expedition from Shimla to Tashigang.
Tashigang is located at 15256 ft altitude located in Cold desert of Spiti in Lahaul-Spiti district that comes under Mandi Lok Sabha constituency.
Tashigang and nearby Gete village had 52 voters out of which 32 are females and 22 males in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It's temperatures dip to subzero level and ECI has prepared special arrangements to greet the voters this time.
They come out in their traditional dress and cast their votes. Last elections the polling station had witnessed 100 percent voting.
The expedition will go from Samdoh, Tabo gompa, the Ajanta of the Himalayas, Kaza, kee monastery, Kibber and uphill to Kaumik, Hikkim. and Tashigang village.
The event featured State Icon Sh. Jaspreet Pal leading the charge from May 14th to May 20th, 2024.
Covering crucial territories including Shimla, Rampur Kinnaur, the expedition traverses through two Lok Sabha constituencies, impacting the electoral landscape of Shimla and Mandi.
414 kilometer long cycling expedition resonates with Misson 414
Sh. Garg said that the distance between Shimla to Kaza is 414 kilometers which also coincides with Election Department's Mission 414 Systemnatic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative.
This Mission is aimed at increasing voting percentage at 414 polling stations, where the voting percentage was low in LSE-2019.
He said that this time nearly three percent of total voters in the electoral rolls would exercise their franchise for the first time and this expedition would go a long way in engaging and sensitizing the youth about their right to vote.
The CEO said that the Election Department was organizing various types of events from time to time with the aim of making people aware about voting. In this series, a plan has been prepared to organize cycling rallies in nine districts on 25 and 26 May, 2024.
Participation of maximum youth will be ensured in these rallies so that the voting percentage could be increased.
On this occasion, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dalip Negi, Returning Officer and District Electoral Officer Anupam Kashyap, Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, Additional District Electoral Officer Abhishek Verma, OSD SVEEP Neeraj Sharma and other officers were present.
With Himachal boasting four Lok Sabha seats, this initiative underscores the dual message of voter engagement and environmental stewardship as the state gears up for polls on June 1st."
