Come elections and some government employees – mostly teachers – face the strangest of challenges. Imagine having to trek for days through thick snow at heights of nearly 10,000 feet so that people can exercise their political franchise?

This is what the poll party headed to Reeh polling station in Ghansali of Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district had to do during the recent Assembly elections so that 275 voters residing in that area could cast their vote on February 15. Another set of polling officials, armed with snow boots, sleeping bags and accompanied by mules, had to trudge even further to help 230 voters in Badrinath constituency cast their vote.

Typically, polling officials are paid rates varying from ₹250-350 per day for the extra duties they have to undertake, with packed lunch worth ₹150 per head daily provided (rates vary from State to State). The poll party normally consists of four polling personnel (one presiding officer and three polling officers). They are also provided with security personnel.

Seems like a lot of trouble to get just 230 people to vote? Well, during the 2014 general elections, a poll party trudged to an over 100-year-old temple in Gujarat’s Gir forest to reach the lone voter there, a priest. The temple is situated nearly 20 km from the nearest habitation with absolutely no public transport. It might have been easier to ask the voter to travel to cast his vote – but the quirks of our democracy are such that the mountain has to go to Mohammed.

All for a vote Talk to election officials and they point out that it is common for polling staff to trek through deserts, snow and deep forests or travel long distances by boat to ensure that no elector remains uncovered. It’s a Herculean task, what with India having 834 million voters spread over 543 constituencies for the Lok Sabha. For the State elections, there are 4,120 Assembly constituencies spread across all the States and Union Territories.

If the mountain States are challenging, then Rajasthan, with its vast expanse of desert, is no less tough. Jaisalmer is the largest district in the State in terms of geographical area and characterised by a highly scattered population. That’s why in the 2014 General Elections, four special mobile polling stations travelled around 15-20 km in the Jaisalmer desert to reach the people.

In the Andaman and Nicobar Island boats are used to transport men and material to the far-flung islands to participate in the election process for the lone Lok Sabha Member of Parliament.

Problems for the poll parties abound. While there is the famous case of the Chief Electoral Officer in Andaman and Nicobar islands being asked to “mind the crocodiles” as she stepped off a boat after spending hours on the sea for the 2014 General Elections, poll officials also have to struggle, holding electronic voting machines (EVMs) above their heads, face erratic connectivity and deal with the vagaries of the weather.

Poll personnel are drawn both from the State Government departments as well as the Central Government offices. Master plans are drawn up for conducting polls in a district. If the polling in a constituency is to be completed in one day, the number of polling parties must be the same as the number of polling stations. If the poll is to be held on more days than one then on each day of the poll, there must be as many polling parties working as the number of polling stations which go to polls on that day.

The number of persons in each polling party depends on various factors. Where the number of electors assigned to a polling station is large, say, more than 1,200, an additional polling officer may also be provided so that the pace of polling runs smooth and the electors are not inconvenienced. As for the officials, well, the polls do take a toll!

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