Polling team treks 18 km inside deep forest to record a home vote

Sivalingam, 92, casting vote at his house at the Noordi tribal settlement in Idukki on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

To record a single home vote, a special polling team, including three women officials, trekked 18 kilometres inside the deep forest under the Idukki Lok Sabha constituency. According to officials, the team trekked to the Nooradi tribal settlement under the Munnar forest division as part of the ‘vote-from-home’ exercise meant for senior citizens aged above 85 and differently abled voters.

According to Devikulam Subcollector V.M. Jayakrishnan, Sivalingam, a 92-year-old bedridden man in the Nooradi settlement, filed an application for home voting, which the election authorities approved. Nooradi is a remote settlement in Edamalakkudy, the first tribal panchayat in the State.

Officials said the special team travelled from Munnar to Edamalakkudy by jeep on Wednesday morning. The team reached Keppakkad, the last point accessible to vehicles, around 8 a.m. They began the trekking around 8 a.m., and after a five-hour journey, reached Sivalingam’s house around 1.15 p.m. and set up a voting compartment. Mr. Sivalingam cast his vote with the assistance of his grandson S. Mohanan. After completing the voting process, the team reached Keppakkad around 7 p.m.

Officials said the special team led by Munnar Engineering College Assistant Jisha Merin Jose; Munnar Vocational Higher Secondary School teacher M. Asha; Munnar Divisional Forest Office (DFO) clerk A.V. Decimol; Edamalakkudy village officer Syam G. Nath; beat forest officers Abhishek K.S. and Shibindas C.L.; civil police officer Anish Kumar K.R.; forest protection watchers K. Raman, Sivasenan; and booth level officer Jayakumar.

To be honoured

Mr. Jayakrishnan said that the special team would be honoured soon in consideration of the effort put in by them. Idukki Collector Sheeba George said the attempt indicated the value assigned to every single vote.