Observing Elections : Exciting experience

Pradeep Biswal

Elections in India were almost festivals of democracy. Posters, banners, placards, rallies and processions used to make it hugely expensive and provide an opportunity for vulgar display of money and muscle power by political parties and their candidates. Thanks to late T. N. Seshan, the former Election Commissioner of India, a lot of reforms have taken place all these years. 

Although the Election Commission was made a plural body, by and large the Commission has maintained its standard of neutrality and independence over the years. As a part of maintaining the neutrality of the election machinery, the system of deployment of outside observers for the election was introduced, which has become a backbone of the electoral system nowadays. 

General Observers, Expenditure Observers and Police Observers are being deployed in a state from outside the state. Mostly middle level IAS, IPS, and IRS officers are engaged for this purpose. Sometimes Special Observers are being pressed into service in critical cases to oversee the election. The observers are the eyes and ears of the Commission and they directly report to the Commission from time to time.

The announcement of the final results by the returning officer needs authentication by the General Observer. Elaborate protocols have been made with regard to the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Observers. Before deploying the officers, the Commission conducts a mandatory briefing session in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi and it gives a broad overview of the responsibilities of the Observers and the expectation of the Commission. 

My first assignment as a General Observer was in the Delhi Assembly Election in 2015. The last of the nominations was 21st January and I had to reach one day earlier. Harinagar assembly constituency was assigned to me. The famous Tihar jail is within its jurisdiction. We were provided accommodation in a star hotel – Radisson Blue. The PSO was a tall Punjabi policeman and I had two liaison officers from the Delhi Government. They received me at the airport.  The Returning Officer was the ADM who was a young DANICS cadre officer hailing from Manipur. The District Magistrate was a very tall and experienced gentleman from the same cadre. 

Both of them were quite cordial but responsible officers. The SP was a very young IPS from Bihar and a medical graduate.  I was like a friend, philosopher and guide for them. The election process went smoothly. I made it a point to visit all polling stations before the election and advised the Returning Officer to make suitable arrangements in deserving cases which he responded promptly. 

The Election Commission held a meeting of the observer along with Chief Secretary and DG, Police before the election to ensure a free and fair election. Due to the restrictions of the Commission the political parties and candidates were careful not to put banners and hoardings in a big way. Door to door campaigning was the preferred mode. The day before the election the ADM telephoned one to inform that in a particular area liquor was being distributed and police remained silent. In Delhi the police are under the Central Government and the District Administration does not have any control over them.

I immediately sent a message to the SP to intervene and submit compliance to me. He obliged and reported back that liquor has been seized and two persons have been arrested in this connection. Another controversy was raised by the opposition about the EVM machine before the election saying that while putting the vote in the machine it was showing in favor of the ruling party in the Center.

The Election Commission immediately issued a circular to bring to their notice such incidents and replace the EVM. But not a single case was detected and incidentally the same opposition party itself came to power winning the election with a thumping majority. On the counting date foreign delegates had come to observe the election process in India and they were visibly satisfied. I had the distinction of visiting all the polling stations on polling day in view of my earlier acquaintance of the places. Even I visited for the second time the vulnerable polling stations located in slums to ensure that no disturbance was created at the last hour. At the end of the day it was a rewarding experience. 

My second assignment was in Bihar in October that year in a district not far from Patna. The PSO and the Liaison Officer received me at the airport. The road to the district headquarters was almost nonexistent and took more than three hours to cover about fifty kilometers. We were put in the Circuit House. The young Collector and SP both called on me in the evening of my arrival. 

There was intermittent power cut throughout the night and I had a disturbed sleep. The next morning I started suffering from loose motion very likely due to the rotted food in the flight the previous day. A doctor was immediately called from the district hospital and medicine was given to me. However, no improvement was there. I was on the verge of getting admission in the hospital. It scared me in a distant place without family members present. I requested the Commission to relieve me and thankfully it was allowed. I had to come back the next day and the food poisoning was so severe that I had to take a rest for a week at home. 

The third assignment was in the last UP election held in February-March 2017. I was posted in Mainpuri district. It was not very  far from Agra. All the observers were put in the circuit house and we used to assemble in the evening, discuss various issues and take dinner together. The primary education and primary health systems in the area were not appreciable. The only culture visible was agriculture. The farmers were quite well off and the irrigation system was equally good. 

My liaison officer was one Abhay Yadav, a very young and dynamic state cadre officer who took care of everything. Now he is District Panchayat Raj Officer in Kushinagar district.  The DM and SP were from the State cadre and were working in perfect harmony. During the VC with the Commission we were told that it was a difficult area due to the presence of heavyweights and possible troubles during the election process. 

We were extra careful. Nothing happened till the end. I was apprehensive about any such incident but nothing happened. It was possibly due to the proactive approach of the district administration which put around twelve hundred miscreants in the district behind bars under Goonda Act. Thankfully the election was over peacefully and a new government came to power with a decisive victory. 

The fourth one was in Chhattisgarh in October-November 2018. My place of deployment was in Ambikapur district very close to Jharsuguda district of Odisha. Thankfully,  I was having another officer from our State deployed in the same district. Besides I got another friend in Dr. N. V. Prasad, a 2004 batch IAS officer from Karnataka who hailed from Andhra Pradesh. We developed a camaraderie within a very short period and enjoyed our time. My Liaison Officer was extremely polite and caring.

Although the road condition and education system was not so good but one can enjoy the greenery around, proving the progressive agricultural system having two three yields in a year with sufficient irrigation facilities. The young District Magistrate was very hospitable and invited us for dinner at his official residence. Although a part of Ambikapur district was naxal infected, there was no disturbance during the election and it ended peacefully. We had a sigh of relief at the end of the election. 

My last deployment was in April-May 2019 in the Loksabha election and I was put in Pulwama assembly segment under Anantnag district in Jammu & Kashmir. The law and order situation was then alarming and the temperature was around 5 to 6 degrees Celsius. The District Magistrate wanted me to stay in the police barracks for security reasons. 

Meanwhile , my niece was about to be married  and my presence was needed during the marriage ceremony. I requested the Commission to spare me from the election duty and with a little bit of persuasion, it was allowed. Of course I missed a chance to observe the election in a most tough place in adverse conditions. It would have been more rewarding for me. 

The Story is the Eleventh in a series of articles.

(Mr. Pradeep Biswal is a bilingual poet writing both in Odia and English. His poems are widely anthologized. He is also an editor and translator of repute. A retired IAS Officer, Mr. Biswal presently holds the position of Member, Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority and stays with his family at Bhubaneswar. Views are Personal)