General Election: Living and Leading as GENERAL

When I was not a government servant, I never imagined the volume of work a district administration undertakes in the backdrop of General Election. I still remember my early days as a citizen in my village – Nistipur, Ganjam. As an ordinary citizen, I used to watch the election rallies for fortnight and then on the Election’s Day I just went to my village school, normally the preferred place for voting, and voted my choice candidate.

I never observed the dos & don’ts in and around the 100 mts radius of polling station; the informative posters on notice board; the preparation of polling teams and their individual responsibilities; the role of security force; role of polling agents and many more. But after returning from the election duty in recent past, I am now rich in experience as far as electioneering process is concerned.

I hope everyone loves to add the electioneering experience in their diversified work profile. Leave the veterans in this field…but for the first timers it is just a fascination to be part of this. Being a Political Science student, I always wanted to be part of this process. Albeit to my government service in Jharkhand, I got a chance to conduct the General Election-2009 in capacity as a Presiding Officer in Chatra Parliamentary Constituency, Jharkhand. In the very first instance when I came to know my name is in the polling party list, I was excited. But during the next few days my excitement faded away. Everyday there is report in the media about suicide attempt, false medical report, bribery at district headquarters to delete the name from election duty, prayer from family members to save their husband/brother/father. Of course, they have some substances to feel so.

If past record of Chatra district is any indication then it is an issue for peace loving people in general and the polling party in particular. In every election, be it Assembly or Parliament (no Panchayat election held till now in Jharkhand), the district witnessed hundreds casualties both civilian and armed force. As you know, Chatra is one of the top-ten Maoist-affected districts in the country. Poor in human development index in the country, the district is lagging behind other districts as far as communication and transportation is concerned. That is why the district despite huge natural resource could attract very few industrial houses. Abundant with Coal reserve, the district managed to attract CCL and, of course, ours as we are a coal-based thermal power. With few Govt. organizations and acute man power, the district administration has no luxury but to take NTPC employees. Thus, I got a chance to be part of this great electioneering process.

I got the call letter mentioning “appointment for Presiding Officer” from the district collector. It also mentioned to attend the training programme at the district headquarters WITHOUT FAILING. As per schedule, we attended the programme. Thousands of government servants - young and old - attended the training programme held in the stadium under tent without any basic facilities – no sound, no visibility to projector presentation, no sitting arrangement, etc. That is the first impression of how state administration operates. Well, no complain!

Subsequently, there were two more training programmes at Block level. Now, I am aware of electioneering process in paper. I have to translate my theoretical training into practical on the Election Day. There is no chance of pull out. I have to move. I am not worried about conducting the election. I was more concerned about the booth that will be allotted just two days before election. I was summoned by the district authority to attend at the headquarters two days before the election. I am still not aware of the booth though I know the Polling Party No and my Polling Party Members by this time. My team has a female member, so there is a shy of relief that I may not be placed in hinterland may be in and around the town.

With four-day election duty plan, I started my journey taking lot of dry food and other accessories to face any eventuality. While leaving my home I observed tense in the faces of my parents and spouse. It is just like I am going to war.

Here is the actual process what I did as Presiding Officer besides earlier training.

Collection of Election Material:
After reaching at headquarters I checked my booth no. Thank God! it is in the outskirt of the town. Then I met my polling team (a polling team consists four members- Presiding officer, Polling 1, Polling 2 and Polling 3) and security force. The three members of my polling team are well above 50 – P1 (Asst. Teacher, male), P2 (Asst Teacher, female) and P3 (Peon, male).

I collected 108 election materials from Match Box to EVM Box all required for voting. A large chunk of these materials include 64 forms and envelopes which the presiding officer has to fill up in Hindi and submit on the Election Day to the district polling officer.

Reaching at the Cluster Centre:
My cluster centre was in the town itself so there is no panic of reaching there. Amidst acute vehicle, there are very lucky few who could travel by bus. But most my colleagues who were posted in the far away areas travelled with their polling team and security in dumper and truck. For them the travel itself is a challenge, forget the landmine and bullet from the Naxalite.

My cluster centre named Nagar Bhavan (town hall) though in the district headquarters is like a big hall in the barren land. Free from entry from all sides, the hall hosted 15 polling parties around 100 staff. It is an old building, can collapse at any time. No body lives near by area. Anti social and animals can enter any time. How I spend those two days at cluster I know. It was pathetic. Electricity is the dearest thing of the area. After hola bola with the authority we could manage to get a generator for light NOT for fan. I spent two days without fan in scorching sunlight. The night spent in companion with Mosquito. Toilet, bath room and water connection…..God knows. Fortunately, there is a tube well which provided water to 100 people for drinking and bathing. Bathing and attending the nature’s call is the worst experience. My childhood village living style saved me from the embracement. What I did is that I got up early in the morning around 4 am and went to the ground with lota and …………used the tube well water for bathing before others get up. I repeated the same in the second day too. Fooding? As there is no hotel in and around the town hall, my fast/dry food saved me. Of course, Bihari saatu, a nutritious drink especially in summer, saved me to some extent. I was just imagining if the situation is so worse in the town what it would have been in the interior areas. Now I lived two days amidst……. Today is third day i.e. Election Day.


On Election Day:
Get up at 3.30 am. Completed all my morning work and am ready to move 4.30 am. I alongwith my polling team and security reached at Polling Booth by 6 am. Now I have to arrange everything as per guidelines from election commission. I inspected the 100 mts radius area of the booth that comes under the jurisdiction of Presiding officer. Arranged the booth: sitting arrangement of Presiding officer, Polling team, Polling agent; Entry and exit; arrangement of Electronic Voting Machine both ballot and control; displaying voter list.

By 6.30 I arranged every thing. It’s now time to go for mock poll. I did the mock poll in the absent of polling agents and issued the concerned certificate to Sector Magistrate. I tagged the EVM as per guidelines, a tough work. By 7 am, some poling agents arrived. I declared the start of voting and issued certificate. While saying confidently all these, if I will not admit that there was no nervousness, it is lie.

Voting continued for next eight hours peacefully i.e. till 3pm. In between, I filled all the forms whenever I get free. The closing was unfortunate. As I declared the closing of voting, one police officer shut down the door. Inside all the polling members and political agents trapped. We were busy in winding up the procedure and completing all the formality. However, for the outsiders it is sign of bogus voting. Around 20 people shouted and complained bogus voting and forcibly entered the room destroying the door. By that time police have arrived there for rescue. But it is the voting register where the actual voters register the name before voting saved from any untoward incident. The last voter who signed confirmed that he is the last voter having Sl. No 214. The total voter in electronic voting machine is also 214. After the hiccup we rushed to the strong room at district headquarters where EVMs are kept.

To submit the EVM and all filled forms took more than five hours in queue. Standing in queue was more pathetic than conducting election that too in empty stomach for the whole day. By 10pm I am free. For other friends it took seven to eight hours. By 2.30 am all my friends submitted the election materials. By 4.30 am we caught our company bus and reached home after two hours drive. The smile in our family members returned so also we returned to our normal routine. Two-day election hang-over and now we are back again …..