No polling booth in 24 Uttarakhand villages

DEHRADUN : Despite the Election Commission of India’s diligent efforts to enhance voter participation in the Lok Sabha elections, for the first time since independence, 24 villages in Uttarakhand will not have a single polling booth on April 19, the election-day. Referred to as “deserted villages” in official terms, these are known to locals as “ghost villages”.

As per the data provided by the State Election Commission, the 24 villages which have been active participants in the past 16 Lok Sabha elections since independence, will not be able to exercise their franchise this time around.

The surprising factor leading to their exclusion from the electoral process is the recent designation of these villages as “uninhabited villages”, as reported by the State Migration Commission.

According to the commission’s findings, “These villages are now deemed uninhabited, located in the districts of Almora, Tehri, Champawat, Pauri Garhwal, Pithoragarh, and Chamoli.

The second report released in February 2023 brought forth a significant trend of temporary migration from 6,436 gram panchayats in the state between 2018 and 2022.”

The report explicitly states that “Over three lakh individuals departed their villages in pursuit of employment. Nevertheless, these individuals sporadically returned. Concurrently, permanent migration occurred in 2067 gram panchayats within the state. Residents departed their villages in quest of employment, education, healthcare, and did not return.”