AAM EMPLOYEE OUT ON DUTY ON ELECTION DAY (19/01/2014)

I was busy in office when I received a message on my mobile informing me of election duty. The message came loaded with a threat of action under RP Act, 1951, in case of failure to report. In India, election duty is abhorred among government employee, even in the 21^st century, considering the violence attached with this process in the past. This is the perception in the national capital of New Delhi even today among government employee who regards this duty fret with risk.

Such message does not bother of your genuine responsibilities back home or even the fact that there might be some elderly person or aged parent needing your physical presence or psychological support. The office is generally reluctant to interfere, even if your boss may be aware of your genuine discomfiture. Even though I was new to New Delhi, I was assigned the job whereas there were many more officers in office who knew Delhi as the back of their palm, but they ‘managed’ to get their names struck off by some devious means or other. This exposed me to the reality of Delhi- the person who manages is considered ‘resourceful’ and those put to election duty is the ‘common man’. The stigma which gets attached to an officer put to election duty vis-à-vis one who manages to escape from such duty is the dividing line of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ between dispensable and indispensable employee (though actually no employee in government set up is regarded as indispensible). It also defines one’s status in society, your reach with the high and powerful compared to those who are the trodden ones.

Like any other government servant I also did not relish doing jobs in addition to my normal 10-5 job; more so this being my first such assignment. But then the writer in me became inquisitive and prodded me to take up the assignment to watch the process unfold and understand this mega event which is often termed as ‘dance of democracy’ by the media.

I reported for duty on time for my first training. It appeared to be a hurriedly arranged session of three hours. I was handed over an Identity card over which I was asked to affix my photograph. Like me there were many first timers and everyone present was anxious to understand their role in the election process. We were given a 20 page photocopy study material. This material is already available on internet and I had already downloaded and had read it. The ECI should have directed its employee to download it in their office and go through it before coming for training. But that wasn’t the case. The gentleman present there bent upon to present his 109 slides presentation and was in a hurry to get through the formality and complete the ‘training’. I had my own doubts on which I needed a clarification during training. But issue raised by the participant was swept under the carpet with the excuse that it will be answered after the session was over. After three hour of slide show the stage was taken over by the electoral officers who informed the gathering of their duty places. Thereafter the assembly was dispersed. Hardly anyone got an opportunity to get his doubt cleared.

The next day the formal letter informing the booth allotted was handed over to all the participants. Once again the letter came loaded with threat of action under RP Act 1951 in case of failure to report for duty.

The government made an announcement to start metro service from 4.00 a.m. on the polling day. But when duty point allotted to employees were more than 30-35 kilometers and they were asked to report for duty at 5.00 a.m. it was virtually impossible for election employee to reach their duty point by availing the metro services. So practically everyone reported for duty using their own personal conveyance. No point wise or area wise arrangement for picking up employee on election duty was made by government making it extremely difficult for employees, especially female employees to report for  duty on time.

The scene at booth was all the more alarming. There was no frisking of employee at the gate. Any person (I mean even terrorist) with some amount of courage, a fake identity card (which it was not difficult to reproduce if one sees these identity card) could have walked inside the polling booth without any check. Just a day before the day of election there were reports of terrorist threat and hence such complacency on part of police was suicidal. This complacency on part of police can be attributed to their fear of rubbing a VVIP on the wrong side by carrying out the exercise of frisking. Isn’t it a fact that frisking is considered derogatory by VVIPs even if it means putting the nation to great risk, where even a terrorist may make his way in the garb of a VIP? I find that there are so many VVIPs in Delhi that a simple police-walaa fears to perform his honest duty lest he may run into a VVIP and lose his job if he dares to check their credentials or to frisk him before allowing him inside a sensitive zone.  He is always in awe of VVIPs and this has helped even tutpunjiya netas to get away which is dangerous for the safety and security of Delhi.

The ECI makes no arrangement for food for the employees who were supposed to make their own arrangement. Getting up at 2-3 a.m. in morning to report for duty at 5.00 a.m. and performing duty continuously up till midnight is simply inhuman; but the employees perform such duty because Government virtually keeps them under the threat of action under RP Act 1951.  While the Government pretends to be magnanimous to its employees by allowing them paid holiday on the day of polls and spends crores on inserting advertisement in newspapers to this effect, those put to election duty are paid an amount of Rs. 860/- for their 20 hours duty which makes them appear bonded labour to the Government. This excludes the amount spent by these employees out of their own pocket on sending SMS messages to ECI on trend of voting, making arrangement for coming to polling station (place of duty) and making arrangement for their food during the polling day. Government could at least present a benevolent face be a better master by being more benevolent to the employees who are put on poll duty.

Lastly, the Congress appeared on the strongest ground on the polling day. The party had plenty of money to spend not only on its polling agents but public at large the polling day. No other party exhibited the wealth as the Congress Party. They offered food even to the polling staff that politely turned down their offer- partly due to the fact that they had come prepared with their own arrangement and partly because they wanted to project their un-biasness. 

If money alone can help a party to win elections, Congress will emerge winner once again in this election. However, if people of Delhi take a decision to honour their commitment and their anguish against price rise, BJP my come to power. The common man has not yet decided to give himself a chance and hence Aam Aadmi Party will have to wait for the next elections. This is my study of elections outcome notwithstanding what the exit polls predict.