Full-fleged polling booth inside Gir forest for one voter

Ahmedabad: The Election Commission is all geared up to set up a polling station at Banej inside the sanctuary area of Gir forest region where only one voter will be exercising his vote in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly election on 13 December. The polling station figured on Gujarat’s map for the first time in 2007 for logistical reasons, when one Mahant Bharatdas Darshandas, the sole voter from Banej, began exercising his franchise. This will be third election in Gujarat when he would be casting his vote, an official said on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_548578” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ibnlive[/caption] “Full polling party will be deputed at Banej, which is 20 km inside Gir forest sanctuary area, as a single voter from there Mahant Darshandas (58) will caste his vote,” District Election Officer Junagadh Manish Bharadwaj told reporters here. “A booth will be erected at the forest department outpost there, and full staff just like at any other polling station like a presiding officer, two polling officers, a peon and an armed policeman will be deputed at Banej,” he said. Darshandas, who takes pride in being the sole voter at this unique polling station said, “Banej has witnessed migration over the years. Earlier, about 85 people used to reside at Banej, but over the years they have left. Now, I am the only one left behind… and I cast my vote in every election,”. PTI