Polling booths in flood and rain affected Kinnaur and lahaul and Spiti district is becoming a major cause of worry for the Election Commission of India (ECI) as natural calamity has cast a shadow on the voting to be done on June 23, for the Mandi parliamentary by-election.
The Himachal State Government is making all possible efforts to avoid any postponement of the election but the ground situation is posing a major hurdle for the administration. The magnitude of devastation in Kinnaur is likely to take a toll on the election and ECI is likely to postpone the elections at least in Kinnaur.
ECI on Friday morning would review the overall situation of the election. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Narendra Chauhan said that they have sent the details of the ground situation in the State, especially of Kinnaur, to ECI and it is to take a final call on Friday.
Mandi parliamentary constituency has total of 1921 polling booths of which 118 polling booths are in Kinnaur district and 89 polling booths are in lahaul and Spiti. According to sources, 104 of the 118 polling booths in Kinnaur have become inaccessible at present due to post flash floods and incessant rains, while in lahaul and Spiti which has 89 polling booths, 3 booths have become inaccessible.
Sources said that if the conditions improve, then polling could be conducted in lahaul and Spiti but in no case it is possible to be conducted in Kinnaur district. “link roads and National Highways are badly damaged and it is not possible to drop the polling parties at each and every polling booth with the help of choppers,” said an official.
Polling parties will be dispatched on Friday to respective polling stations alongwith security personnel while 10 companies of Para-military forces are being deployed in the State for the bye-elections. Source said that if there is any postponement of the election, then election could be held next month. On Thursday one company of security personnel was stranded at Rampur, waiting to be airlifted to lahaul and Spiti for the election duty.