Mana locals near India-China border to vote inside village for first time

DEHRADUN: After the formation of Uttarakhand as a separate state, for the first time, the inhabitants of Mana, one of the country’s remotest villages situated near the India-China border in the Garhwal Himalayas, will cast their vote inside the village in the byelection to be held for the Badrinath assembly seat on July 10.
A primary school in the village has been designated as the polling booth.
Mana village to get election booth for bypolls: Officials
Officials said repair work is presently underway, officials said.
There are 3,884 voters in Niti Valley and Mana, mainly belonging to the indigenous Bhotia tribe who stay in the area for around six months during summer and migrate to lower areas in the winter months when the village is snow-bound.
According to officials, this was also the reason why no polling booth had been set up in the area till now since traditionally, the assembly elections have been held in the state in the month of Feb, when the inhabitants are not in the village.
Jyotirmath sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Chandrashekhar Vashishth, told TOI, "This is a rare occasion when inhabitants are in the village and therefore, polling will take place in Mana for the first time."
Mana village is located at an altitude of 10,500 feet on the northern terminus of national highway 7, around 25 km from the border with China. Inhabitants of Mana relocate to Ghigraan in the lower regions for winter, while those from Niti Valley move to villages such as Nandprayag Tephna, Devali Bagad and Birhi.
This is also the first time since the state's formation that polling (by-election) will coincide with Char Dham yatra. A number of pilgrims coming to Badrinath, one of the Char Dhams, also visit Mana, which is situated around 4km from Badrinath.
Mana village head, Pitambar Molfa, said the villagers are "immensely excited about casting their votes in the village."
Incidentally, PM Modi during his visit to Mana in Oct 2022 had called the border village as the "first village" instead of "last village before the India-China border", as it was commonly referred to in the past.
In April 2023, the Border Roads Organisation changed its earlier sign board showing Mana as the "last village of the country".