The most important contributing factor for a win in any election is its proper management. The PRI poll, being a rural exercise, throws numerous management challenges to the political parties.
Usually the sitting MlA or the defeated MlA candidate of a party, becomes the poll manager of the three -tier Panchayat election in Assembly constituency level in Odisha. The BJD keeps away the MPs from the UlB and PRI election process.
The election management process starts with the selection of candidates for various PRI posts. Parties prefer unanimous selection .But such ideal situation does not happen always, giving rise to dissident candidates. Sometimes, the dissident group of a MlA or a MlA candidate sets up rebel candidates. It is also found that a few candidates get elected unopposed through consensus or due to cancellation of other candidatures. Ganjam district has the highest number of such unopposed elected candidates in 2017.
Once the candidates are selected, the poll mangers focus on their filing of nomination papers. lots of documents are needed. Court papers' procurement was a challenge this time. The names must be properly written, unlike the Kendrapada MlA Kishore Tarai. The caste certificates, document proof of literacy and number of children must be collected. The ruling party remains in the advantage position during the documentation and the nomination stage while the opposition parties face the heat of rejection due to deficiency in documentation or late application. Opposition candidates have reported such issues during the current PRI poll.
The third stage is the withdrawal of nomination papers. Sometimes the political parties put up multiple candidates fearing rejection. Sometimes they put up candidates to cut votes of the Opposition or put dummies to get vehicle and expenditure facility. The poll managers withdraw unwanted nominations. They are also seen persuading the opposition candidates to withdraw their nominations in exchange of favours. An election conflict arose in Kendrapada, where the opposition candidate complained that her nomination paper has been withdrawn without her knowledge. This is a case of poll management failure of the BJD.
The fourth stage poll management is more significant, the campaign phase. The candidate uses all means to attract voters. Now- a- days, film stars are hired or inducted into the political parties for campaign. local feasts are arranged. Voters are asked to promise in religious places to vote for a candidate. Families are ostracized if they resist a village decision to support a party. The ruling party promises the hostile voters the inclusion of their names in current welfare schemes and sometimes gives them a scheme facility backdated. The ruling party also asks the police to go soft on certain crime accused persons so that they work during the elections. Villagefeasts, free Jatras ,Trinatha Melas, Makar feasts , cricket match, Saraswati Puja feasts like mass programmes are funded by the strong candidates. Apart from the mass feasts, the candidate is seen unwillingly appease the youths separately with a mutton feast, special drink, mobile recharge vouchers and free petrol. The ZP candidate sometimes gives money to the village community organizations.
The voter list is meticulously analyzed and a plan is made to reach the target voters by stealing votes from other camps while protecting the voters of own camp. Absent voters are also listed by smart candidates. As there is ban on liquor before election, managers keep liquor beforehand to manage the pre-poll and poll day. Often all candidates complain of fund shortage. There is also mismanagement and pilferage of party funds. Some candidates sell or mortgage property to meet the escalating cost. Adequate as well as proper uses of funds areconsidered management challenges. Banner and posters fetch money for local printers but its mutilation leads to police cases and law and order problems. The pre-poll night is vital for wooing the voters with gifts. The gifts are not given beforehand as there is a fear of forgetfulness.
The fifth phase of the election is the poll day. Its proper management is the key to success. The strong candidate usually plays the lead role in receiving the poll party on the pre-poll day and exchanging curtseys. He also keeps the local police station in good humour. Candidates either remain present in the polling booth or deploy poll agents.
In the forthcoming PRI election, there shall be only one box in the booth where voters will drop their voted ballot papers for four candidates such as the ward member, the Sarapanch, the Samitee Member and the ZP member, printed in different clolours.
The political parties make arrangements to bring their supporter voters to the booth. The polling timing has been kept between 7am to 12 noon this time. The management challenge is to ensure the arrival of supporter voters within the stipulated time. Sometimes incentives are given to pull the fence- sitting voters. Though canvassing is banned within 100 meters of booth, the strong candidates keep loitering. The candidates give voter roll number to their supporters. Inside the booth, the polling agents help the voters if they have not brought ID card. Here, false voting is sometimes supported by the poll agents in the name of the absent voters. Though false voting is less practiced in Odisha, in comparison to other States, it is an area of concern. Sometimes the opposite parties compete to overtake one another in false voting. Here the role of polling officials and local police is important. Sometimes they tell voters to cast votes for a candidate, especially the aged voters .To eliminate the opposing party protest, the strong candidate is seen compromising the opposition booth agent in certain booths. Timing is stretched for the ruling party voters usually. Voters sometimes come to the booth and do not find their names in the voters' list. A diplomatic polling officer allows them vote to avoid law and order problems at the booth but those votes are not counted.
The fifth phase is the counting of votes. Earlier vote boxes used to be transported. There were complains of looting of ballot boxes or machines en route. Now- a- days, the votes are counted at the booth level, after the polling is over, from 1pm onwards. Counting is a very important management work as it involves the discarding of wrong voting papers. Accusation of mis-counting is raised by the Opposition. Though the counting shall be over on the poll day at the booth, the result shall be officially declared and published at a later date by the concerned authorities. Declaration of result of Ward Members, Sarapachs and Samitee Members shall be done at the Block office the publication of names of the winning ZP members shall be done at the Collectorate.
The last phase is the election process of the Naib Sarapanchs of Panchayats , Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Panchayat Samitees and the Zilla Parisahd Chairman and Vice Chairman. The manager has to ensure that the winning candidates of the party remain glued to the party till the election of these posts. Once the members are elected, they become free to move like gas molecules. If there is marginally less number of a party, the poll manger brings these floating molecules of other parties to favour his party. Here hotel stays, holiday tours, gifts and horse trading take place.