The death of a polling personnel engaged in the Dhamnagar by-poll due to sudden illness calls for a sort of soul searching. The deceased Natabar Munda was a teacher in a school in Bhadrak district and had sought permission of the authorities to skip election duty on health grounds, though it was denied.
Elections are growing more and more violent over the years given the high stakes involved and the massive use of money and muscle power by parties to win them. Voters are wooed by various means including by cash and gifts. Since fighting an election has grown increasingly expensive and requires the candidates in the fray to spend hugely, the issue becomes do –or-die.
The polling personnel become an easy target of the candidates who are apprehensive of losing the election by looking at the situation at the booth levels. Though except their polling agents, the contesting candidates and their supporters are prohibited from entering the polling booths, hardly do they follow the rules and create a melee at inside and out the booths. They are even seen intimidating the polling personnel and capturing the booths. Assaulting polling personnel, lifting polling materials forcibly from their possession and even the vote box or voting machine snatching are no stray incidents.
On the contrary, the polling parties are not provided with proper security. A polling party comprises only one constable or home guard. Yes, there are mobile police teams to move from booth to booth to take care of the law and order situation. But the security arrangement is always not adequate, the tall claims by the authorities notwithstanding. As such, it is the polling parties that remain at the receiving end when there is mob violence. This is the reason why many join the election duty willy-nilly with a fear in mind.
Besides, the convenience of the polling parties is always overlooked. Right from joining the duty to getting relieved, they are made to pass through grueling discomfort. They are required to do every tidbit in a hurry and that too without mistakes. Once engaged in duty, the polling parties are left to fend for them. Even at some places, they stay awake the whole night before the polling day and begin the voting early in the morning by staying hungry till the voting is over. Consequently, those who are mentally weak or physically sick can’t adapt to the situation.
The Election Commission needs to take note of the practical problems faced by the polling personnel and take adequate measures to ensure that not just the polling is done free and fair but the officials who conduct the poll are safe.