DAHI (KUKSHI): Her eyes twinkling with joy, 60-year-old Bhuri, a resident of Bada Kasta village in Dhar district , said she is very excited about Wednesday. “I will travel on a boat free of cost to cast my vote,” she said.Bhuri, who lives on a hill in Dahi block of Kukshi constituency in Dhar, on the banks of Narmada, will reach polling booth number 187 on a boat along with hundreds of other voters of her village.On a routine day, she travels at least 8km by foot through hilly terrain to earn a living. “Boat is something that we cannot afford. Some of the villagers who are fishermen and have boats will take us. We cut wood and sell it in the market and return with money. Earlier it was easier when there was a road but because of the construction of Sardar Sarovar dam, it got submerged in backwaters,” she said.The only government middle school in this area with three rooms has been converted to a polling station for 279 female and 288 male voters from Kudiyakhandra, Pujarapura and Bada Kasta. Of the total 567 voters, 15 are disabled. In order to encourage villagers to cast vote, officials on election duty have travelled 8km climbing hills and demonstrating the working of EVMs.“I am from this area and it is in my habit to climb the hills but those who had come to demonstrate the working of VVPAT machines had a hard time,” said BLO Gyan Singh Dodwa.According to administrative officials, booth in the area had been witnessing a fall in the voter turnout and last election less than 25% voting was reported in the booth.With these voters coming to exercise their franchise, officials are now expecting at least 75% turnout.“We had selected 50 such booths in the area and sent teams of at least 10 officials who explained the working of the new machine to them,” said Kukshi returning officer Anshul Gupta.“We don’t want anyone to feel apprehensive before coming to polling station,” he said.

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