Gir Somnath (Gujarat): The lone voter Banej polling booth came into spotlight ahead of the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. Yet again, a whole polling booth with eight officials and security guards will be set up for a single voter at Banej in Gir Somnath district. Mahant Haridas Bapu, the lone resident of Shiv Mandir cum ashram in a remote Gir forest, is going to cast his vote yet again as the only voter in this unique polling booth.
Incidentally, Banej is going to poll in the first round of voting on December 1 and the Election Commission notably mentioned the lone voter polling booth to emphasize the country's commitment to upholding democratic principles and systems. The EC made it clear while announcing the dates for the Gujarat Assembly election. Banej polling booth falls under the Una Assembly and Junagadh Parliamentary constituencies respectively.
The Banej polling booth has been going on since 2002 when, initially, Mahant Bharatdas Bapu, the lone resident at Shiv Mandir, used to cast his vote. The EC continued the single voter booth in keeping with long-standing election customs. Bharatdas Bapu passed away in 2019. At that point, people thought the EC would shut down the single voter polling booth forever.
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However, it was decided to keep the Banej booth open when Mahant Haridas Bapu was named the successor of Bharatdas Bapu. In accordance with the guidelines, the Banej booth would be having eight officials along with security guards to conduct the polling at the single voter booth. Amid tight security, one EVM will be sent and preserved in a strong room as per the procedures of the Election Commission.
In the past 19 years, there has never been an occasion when Banej polling booth has not achieved hundred percent polling percent. The lone Banej voter has scrupulously kept his voting choice a secret all through these years. Neither the deceased Bharatdas Bapu nor Haridas Bapu ever spoke out about their voting preferences. However, being the lone voter both, it is obvious which candidate got hundred percent support in Banej in every election.
Meanwhile, Mahant Haridas Bapu praised the Election Commission for their efforts and agreed that every vote is crucial to preserving and advancing democracy. If the Election Commission is putting up a whole polling station for a single voter in such a case, then every voter should be aware of the importance of his vote and come forward to cast it in order to uphold this democratic tradition.
