ELECTION DIARY

                                   PANCHAYAT RAJ

                                                   

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA (APU) AT THE ELECTION DUTY

                      A MEMOIR BY KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA (APU)

 

 

IT WAS  THE 10TH JULY 2013 WEDNESDAY, I WOKE UP EARLY IN THE MORNING UNLIKE ANOTHER DAY. AS THE DAY WAS NOT SIMILAR TO WEEKDAYS, THE DAY WAS THE PREVIOUS DAY OF THE PANCHAYAT GENERAL ELECTION WHICH IS HELD IN EVERY ALTERNATIVE FIVE YEARS IN MANY STATES IN INDIA INCLUDING WEST BENGAL. NONE LEFT THE BED BEFORE ME AT HOME. WITH A MILD JOY IN THE MIND AND ANXIOUS MOOD, I HOPED TO ATTEND THE EXTRAVAGANT GALA OF VOTING FESTIVAL IN THE GREAT INDIAN DEMOCRACY. THE MORNING FRESHNESS AND THE CLOUDY SKY WREATHED THE PIOUS LIKE MOOD, ONLY TO COMPARABLE  TO THE FEELING OF MY INTROVERT EXPRESSION WITH THE CONDITIONAL MOOD OF OFFERING PRAYER TO THE GOD DURING THE HAPPY PERIOD OF LIFE. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF PERFORMING THE RESPONSIBILITY AS A VOTING STAFF SEEMED TO ME AN ADVENTUROUS TASK DURING THE ELECTION. ALTHOUGH, THE ACTUAL ENVY ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS FROM THE DAY WHEN THE APPOINTMENT LETTER FOR JOINING IN THE VOTING PROCESS WAS ISSUED TO ME.  AS I WAS THE FIRST IN MY LIFE TO EXPERIENCE THE HARD WORK OF PERFORMING THE DUTY IN THE ELECTION  AS A PANCHAYAT GENERAL VOTING STAFF, IT SEEMED TO ME LIKE A HUGE TASK OF PULLING DOWN THE MAMMOTH FROM THE HILLOCK. 

AFTER LEARNING THE BASIC RULES IN THE TRAINING SEASON, GRADUALLY THE POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE BECAME HOT. THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE  TRAINING MADE ME KNOWN TO EACH OTHER OF MY COLLEAGUES APPOINTED  TO THE SCHEDULED BOOTH. THE STAFF PATTERN CONSISTING OF THE PRESIDING OFFICER, FIRST POLLING OFFICER, SECOND POLLING OFFICER, THIRD POLLING OFFICER, FOURTH POLLING OFFICER AND TWO POLICEMEN ARRANGED THE 3 TIERS PANCHAYAT ELECTION PROCESS - GRAM PANCHAYAT (ELECTED VILLAGE MEMBER), PANCHAYAT SAMITY (BLOCK LEVEL ELECTED CANDIDATE) AND ZILLA PARISAD (DISTRICTED LEVEL ELECTED LEADER) WHERE THE CITIZEN ELECTED THE CANDIDATES BY CASTING VOTE (PRESSING THE CROSSED MARK STAMP IN THE MANUAL BALLOT PAPERS DISTINCTIVELY SPECIFIED FOR THREE SEPARATE VOTE ) ON THE SYMBOL PRESCRIBED. THE AGE OLD CYCLE MESSENGER FOR EVERY BOOTH WAS REPLACED BY THE TECHNOLOGY IN THE FORM OF THE MOBILE TEXT MESSAGING WITH EVERY HALF AN HOUR. BUT THE WATER - CARRIER APPOINTED BY THE VILLAGER STILL REMAINED IN THE LIST OF THE VOTING STAFF INTERESTINGLY. THE PROCEDURE DIFFERS FROM THAT OF CIVIC POLLS HELD IN THE CITY -  THE PANCHAYAT OR SARPANCH POLL FORM THE VILLAGE CONSTITUTIONS WITH VILLAGE BOARD, BLOCK DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AND DISTRICT COUNCIL OR BOARD. 

INSIDE THE TRUCK

AFTER REFRESHMENT IN THE DAWN WITH HAVING  SNACKS, I KICKED THE STARTER OF MY BIKE CARRYING A LIGHT LUGGAGE TO THE VEHICLE STAND ARRANGED FOR TRANSPORTING THE POLLING STAFF TO THE DECODING CENTER AND THE RECEIVING CENTER SIMULTANEOUSELY. THE CLOUDY SKY WITH A WEAKENING SUN LIGHT MINGLED IN THE AIR INTO AN ENVIRONMENT OF NO SPACE TO SIT OR STAND INSIDE THE VEHICLES, EVEN SOME VEHICLES MANAGED TO CARRY THE STAFF ON THE ROOF TOP OF THE BUSES, HERE IN JHARGRAM, A SMALL RURAL TOWN IN WEST BENGAL. I WAITED FOR TWO HOURS LONG, BUT NO MOTOR VEHICLE OR BUS WAS AVAILABLE FOR ME. THE DEPRESSION AND INFERIOR COMPLEXITY OVERPOWERED ME LIKE THE DEPRESSION OF BAY OF BENGAL SURMOUNTED IN THE SKY OF THE RAINY DAY, THAT SOMETIMES INUNDATES THE VAST LAND AND HABITANT. THE MOCKERY WAS HEIGHTENED IN THE STREET WITH THE INCIDENT OF REFUSAL AND BARGAINING WITH THE EXCHANGE OF  VERBAL NEGATION BETWEEN ME AND A CYCLE RICKSHAW PULLER AS THERE IS NO FARE CHART FOR RICKSHAW PASSENGERS. 

ON BOARDING ON A TRAIN I REACHED TO COLLECT THE VOTING MATERIALS ALONG WITH OTHER STAFF/ COLLEAGUE. AT NOON IN THE SCORCHING SUN LIGHT OVER THE HEAD, SHARING ON THE FLOOR OF AN OPEN HOODED APPREHENDED TRUCK SMEARING ON THE WARMING DAY LIGHT, I ENDED THE JOURNEY TO THE DESTINATION AT KENTHIA PRIMARY SCHOOL IN THE VILLAGE KENTHIA IN THE DISTRICT OF WEST MIDNAPORE.

THE BUSY AND HECTIC SCHEDULE OF CONTINUANCE  VOTING PROGRESS FROM MORNING TO EVENING ON THE FOLLOWING DAY WITHOUT ANY OFFICIAL BREAK FOR TIFFIN OR LUNCH (WHICH IS AN INHUMAN RIGHT APPROACH IN THE LAW CODE) I JUST KEPT THE RECORD OF THE IDENTITY OF THE VOTERS AND GAVE THE BALLOT PAPER TO CAST THE VOTE TO APPLY THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHT. THE COMPLETION OF SEALING THE BALLOT BOXES AND FILLING UP THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, PRECEDED THE TRUCK JOURNEY UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF DRIZZLE AND FEEBLE STARRY SKY, TO THE RECEIVING CENTER AT MADPUR. 

AFTER EXAMINING  THE DOCS COMPARING THE CHECK- LIST THE THREE BALLOT BOXES WERE HANDED THE RECEIVING OFFICERS OVER AND I GOT THE RELEASE ON A WRITTEN MANNER FROM THE ELECTION DUTY AT 10:30 P.M. THERE WAS NO TRAIN OR VEHICLE FOR RETURNING TO MY RESIDENCE. I MANAGED TO LIE DOWN ON THE GROUND UNDER THE TENT USING MY LIGHT LUGGAGE SINCE THE MORNING WITH AMICABLY ! THE JOY OF PARTICIPATION TO BUILD A HEALTHY COMPETITION IN THE GREAT INDIAN DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZATION CAME TO AN END BY THE PATIENCE, ENDEAVOUR AND  TOLERANCE ABILITY  SHOWN IN THE LABOUR TO BE KEPT IN SILENCE RESISTING MYSELF NO DEMONSTRATING THE RIGHT TO VOICE.

 LATER ADDED PART :

 AS PER THE VOTING WORK DURING THE ELECTION PERIOD THE STAFF INCLUDED TO ENGAGE IN THE BOOTH TO ASSIST THE ELECTION PROCESS  POSTS OF THE MEMBER OF A TEAM ARE INSTRUCTED TO 
BY THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA  AS THE FIRST POLLING OFFICER, SECOND POLLING OFFICER, THIRD POLLING OFFICER AND THE PRESIDING OFFICER. I WAS A FIRST POLLING OFFICER IN THE SAME ELECTION AND I WAS PAID RUPEES EIGHT HUNDRED ONLY IN INDIAN CURRENCY FOR POLL ALLOWANCE. THE CURRENCY NOTES WERE ENVELOPED THAT WAS LOCKED IN A DRAWER. I DISCOVERED THE ENVELOPE CONSISTING OF RS.  500+100+100+100 HAD BEEN THEFT. IT WAS A SAD EXPERIENCE TO TELL THAT THE ONLY POLL ALLOWANCE WAS SNATCHED.                              (UPDATED ON 19 SEPTEMBER, 2013).