Come May 7 and Anlayphoo will go into the history books as India's highest polling booth with one of the smallest electorates.
Situated at the altitude of 5,000 meters, Anlayphoo polling booth is located in the Nyoma block of Leh district where the temperature plummets to minus 20 degrees in the winters.
With an electorate of 69 people, the Anlayphoo polling booth is accessible by road unlike some other booths which are still not reachable in Ladakh.
"There is a road link which connects Anlayphoo with the mainland. This booth is accessible by road. Therefore we will be sending our polling party by road to set up the booth at Anlayphoo," Ghulam Ahmad, assistant returning officer Leh, told dna.
Election authorities have finalized all the preparations for setting up the country's highest polling booth. According to officials, the election material and staff will be dispatched to the area three days in advance to set up a polling booth.
"Since it is an arduous journey, the polling staff to the area will start some days before elections. Around four people would be posted at the polling booth for free and fair polls," said an official.
Unlike Anlayphoo, there are several polling booths in the division which are still inaccessible by road. Authorities have requisitioned for the helicopters to airlift men and material to the inaccessible polling booths to ensure free and fair polling.
"There are six to seven booths where we need helicopters to ferry men and material. These are still not connected by road. So we need to keep everything ready before hand," Ahmad said.
Anlayphoo is a part of Ladakh parliamentary constituency which goes to the polls on May 7. With an electorate of 1,59,949, of whom 81,168 are male voters and 78,781 are female voters, Ladakh parliamentary constituency comprise four assembly segments — two each in Kargil and Leh districts.
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