Voting at world's highest polling station

Voting was conducted the fourth time on Saturday at Tashigang, which has been in the record books since 2019 as the highest polling station in the world.

“Highest polling station of India, Tashigang — 72. Altitude — 4,650 metres,” reads a message painted in blue and white on the front wall.

“Swagatam. We heartily welcome all the voters to the world’s highest polling station,” is written in Hindi on the welcome board, adorned with colourful frills.

The tiny village in Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti valley is perched high in the icy Himalayas at a staggering altitude of 15,256 feet. Located near the India-China border, Spiti valley is part of the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, one of the four parliamentary constituencies in Himachal and the second largest in India.

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is up against the Congress's Vikramaditya Singh from the seat.

The polling station at Tashigang, serving 62 voters from Tashigang and Gete, has been made a model polling booth.

The one-storied polling station has two rooms on each side, recently painted bright yellow.

On Saturday, the entire polling team and the voters donned beautiful traditional Chuba attire.

A lunch was organized for the voters.

They took selfies at a selfie point set up against the backdrop of brown hills and a bright blue sky.

“My vote, my right,” it says, capturing the spirit of democracy in this remote corner of India.