A historic moment unfolded in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar cast their votes for the first time in Indian General Elections 2024. “Every vote marks a milestone in their journey towards empowerment and representation,” said the Election Commission of India.
On Friday, the tribe voted in their nearing polling station. The members of these tribes are semi-nomadic and live in small bands deep in the tropical forest of the island. As per the 2011 census, there are 238 of them in the tribe.
The ECI took up this herculean task of including the tribes into voters list and followed a proactive approach to increase awareness among them as voters. They were taught about the usage of electronic voting machines and other details. EC used a customised and sensitive approach to include them in the voters list.
