My Election Duty as Returning Officer. Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

My Election Duty as Returning Officer

Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

It was the most election duty that I had been assigned so far for a number of reasons. First of all I was made Returning Officer in Panchayat Elections which are considered as the most sensitive elections in Indian democracy as the local sentiments run high involving a number of local issues. Secondly a Returning Officer is overall incharge of his polling parties he has to do everything from declaring the notification of the election to invite the forms, to check and ascertain the eligibility of candidates, to allot them symbols, to conduct the polling, to supervise the counting, declare the winners in the election that is candidates who have been elected as Ward Panchs and Sarpanch and then on the next day to elect Vice Sarpanch of the Panchayat. Thirdly the clerical staff of Government of Rajasthan was on strike and Chief Minister insisted on holding these elections at any cost. So the workers working in concerns of Central government and other autonomous bodies like Muincipalities, Hindustan Zinc Ltd, RAPP, Sainik School staff members  were assigned duties in the election. So a returning and presiding officer had an additional job to train them also so as to conduct faultless polls as most of them were conducting the polls for the first time in their life. Then at that time that as the twentieth century was coming to a close villages in Rajasthan were still backward as there was shortage of basic amenities like drinking water, electricity, roads, etc.

I was made Returning Officer to conduct polls in two panchayats in two phases. In the first phase there were two polling parties under me and in the second phase one of the party was to be relieved while the other one was to proceed to conduct the elections to the second panchayat. Normally there is only one Returning Officer for one panchayat but at that time due to shortage of staff two panchayats were given to us. After taking the pre poll training and collecting the material we rode the bus given to us and reached our first destination a village named Rewaliya Khurd that was roughly 40 kms from district headquarter. On reaching there we found ourselves in total darkness as we came to learn that there is electricity only in half the village and the school building that was to be the polling station had no electricity. An interesting incident that took place when we started the journey from the headquarter was that there was a bedding lying near our bus and one of the member of our polling party thinking that some member of our polling party has left it, so he took it and put it in the bus. When at the destination we found that this bedding did not belong to anybody we laughed at the fate of that poor man whose bedding we had brought as the weather was quite chilly due to recent rains.

As the winters were approaching so the days were getting shorter and shorter and the availability of sunlight time was diminishing every day. In those days the ballot paper of the candidates, of both Sarpanch and Ward Panchs were prepared by hand. To make the matters worse our gas lanterns were not working properly as its bulb busted as soon as it was switched on. So we had to use carbon paper in the lamp and candle light to prepare the ballot papers manually for the polling next day. In everything we were running against time and struggling to remain on schedule given to us by the Election Department. As we had also to prepare our own meals while making preparations for elections so we remained quite bus through out the day. Next day it was polling day and though we had procured some ready made material from the town but by the time polling ended we were hungry but we were not free yet as the counting had also to be done. So after a break of half an hour during which we gobbled whatever we had we opened the ballot boxes and counted the votes of ward panchs and then the ballots of Sarpanch. Though villagers were peaceful and cooperative but it was nearly 11 p.m when we declared all the results and villagers departed one by one from the counting booth as the margin of victory was quite large. Next day I had to issue the notification for the election of Vice Sarpanch or Upsarpanch and the polling was to be at 11 a.m. Fortunately the election to Upsarpanch was unanimous and I was happy the person who was elected Upsarpanch was a graduate and was pursuing post graduate studies in Political Science as a non-collegiate student from our college. It was a coincidence that the school teacher who was our guide also turned out to be my student who had graduated in English Literature and later on pursued post graduate degree also in English Literature. After the declaration of result Sarpanch requested us to have lunch but we refused as we had to reach our second place that was nearly 200 kms away from this place and the polling process had to begin from the next day. So we left just after taking tea and some refreshment provided by the successful candidate. Certainly it was not only one of the most difficult elections of my life but it was also one of the most difficult phase of my life and I came out of it due to fervent prayer of my mother who prayed for my well being daily and she even came to see me as we were passing through district headquarter for the second destination though at that time she was nearly 70 years old. After meeting with my mother things started easing up as if the difficult phase was over as the second phase of these elections was comparatively easier.

            After a long journey of nearly five hours we reached our destination which was also the building of a government school of the village. Name of this station was Barkhera which came into existence after the dislodged people of the village after the construction of a dam were relocated at that place. This place was near Rawatbhata where there was a nuclear energy plant. Now there was only one polling party under me as the other one had been relieved after the polls in Rewaliya Khurd as in this panchayat  there was only one polling booth. In the morning as we were pasting the notification of the election a delegation led by the villagers with an educated and enlightened man came to meet me and assured me that they would elect Sarpanch, Ward Panchs and Upsarpanch unanimously as they have made up their mind to elect it unopposed so as to get development fund of Rs. 1 lac from the government to the Panchayat that is elected unopposed. So only elections to the members of Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad were only to be held. After these polls we were totally free for next two days. So party requested me to take them to the nearby Gandhi Sagar Dam. Though in the night we returned from there but Zonal Magistrate was disturbed as he was at total loss to know where the polling party along with the vehicle had disappeared. After electing the Vice Sarpanch also unopposed we proceeded back to the district headquarters and after submitting all the relevant papers I returned back to my home after a gap of ten days.

                                                                                                        

My Fourth Election Duty as Presiding Officer Author; Dr. K.S. Kang

My Fourth Election Duty as a Presiding Officer

Author : Dr. K.S. Kang

My last election duty as a presiding officer was at a town Mangalwar on Chittorgarh- Udaipur Highway. This place was nearly 50 kms away from the district headquarter. The polling party was to stay in the building of the school of the village. In fact there were two schools in the village situated at a distance of roughly 2kms from each other. So the school that was situated in the heart of the village had two polling parties whose presiding officers were also my colleagues Dr. Mohd. Shamsuddin, of Department of Chemistry and Mr. C.N. Sharma Librarian of our college. Our destination was in the school that was just besides the highway known as  Chauraha as there was intersection of four roads going from this place to Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Doongla and Nimbahera. In this school also there were two polling parties. One of them was headed by me while the other was led by Dr. C.S. Rawat also of Department of Chemistry of our college. Unfortunately now he is no more but he was a lively human being and a thorough gentleman. A couple of days spent with him are perhaps one of the finest moments of my life. He was very much interested in music and cooking. He brought with him not only the emergency light with cassette player and cassettes but he had also brought cooking oil, pulses, other cereals and even spices from his home and of course a portable gas stove. He used to cook dishes with great concentration and finery that I relished this duty very much. Once one of member of his polling party wanted to go home for some urgent work and he had a butcher shop in the town .So Dr. Rawat allowed him to go with the promise that in the morning he would return with half a kilo mutton. So this was the only election duty in which I enjoyed even mutton curry. In the evening and morning we used to go on morning and evening walk for quite a long distance. We use to lose time as we were engrossed in conversation on various topics. 

            Everything went on normal except a squabble between the members of polling parties who were staying in school of the village. As in those days there were ballot papers so under the influence of intoxication a member tried to destroy the ballot papers. After securing th safety of ballot papers presiding officers of these two parties rushed to us to report the matter to the Zonal Magistrate who was staying in the Dak Bungalow of the town. However the dispute ended amicably when members of the polling party sought apology from the Presiding Officers as they knew it well that if the complaint reaches Zonal Magistrate their job would be in danger. Another petty incident that occurred during these elections was that after the polls when we came back to the district headquarter to deposit the ballot boxes and other documents I misplaced my bag containing important documents like Ballot Paper Account. One of the member Mr. Neelmani, who is famous player of the town, helped in finding that bag as a result of which I returned to my home as a contented man. I will never forget personalities like Dr. Rawat, Mr. Neelmani, Mr. Rang Lal Bharadia and many more who have helped me and cooperated with me in conducting the polls in a peaceful and efficient manner.   

My Third Election Duty as Presiding Officer : Author Dr .K.S. Kang

My Third Election Duty as a Presiding Officer

Author: Dr.K.S. Kang

My next election duty came as a sudden surprise because initially my duty was in reserve staff and I even took pre poll training also accordingly. But while the polling parties were collecting the material and departing for their respective polling stations I got the information from a petty bureaucrat that my duty has been changed into active one and I have to head a polling party to a village named Nikumbh. I asked that petty bureaucrat to introduce me to the person whose duty was cancelled. As I was sure that that fellow was some close friend or relative of some politician or bureaucrat who must have helped him in getting his duty cancelled. So when he came before him I gave him my piece of mind left and right saying that whenever government needs you, you people run away otherwise you remain at forefront at the time of getting perks and salaries and other facilities. I simply could not control my self though that fellow said that his wife was ill so there is nobody to look after his children that is why he is getting his duty cancelled. Though I accepted his explanation but I was not convinced about the genuineness of his excuse. After the members of the polling party assured me that it was a good town and we will not having any trouble of getting food at that place and there is no trouble of taking dry rations from the district headquarter. But this was the first time I felt the effect of nepotism in government service and as a member of minority community I did not have sufficient numbers in my favour to get the decision changed in the age of democracy so I decided to accompany the polling party and comply with the orders. For the first time we got the conveyance of bus that took three other polling party along with our party. As the security guard posted with our polling party was a local fellow so we had no difficulty in getting food and other facilities in the town. We reached our destination by the time the darkness of the evening descended and as was the ritual we took out our tiffin boxes that we had brought from our homes and took the silent and cold meals and then spreading our beddings in the room allotted to us we slept. Next day on waking up I found the place to be a large building with its own boundary wall and even a well and a hand pump so there was no shortage of water even though those were the summer days. As we had reached our destination a day ahead of our schedule so we used to go for a walk in the morning and evening in the town. Everything was going on well but on the eve of poll day I felt sudden chill in my body and it started trembling and I had a fever. A party member also suggested to report the sickness to the Zonal Magistrate so that some person can be replaced as presiding officer in order to give me respite. But I thought that demanding new officer at the eleventh hour will create unnecessary trouble so I decided to continue as presiding officer thanks to my first polling officer that he took responsibility of controlling the polling centre. Polling party was so nice that they gave me medicine and sent me to rest in the room where we were staying and the poll continued even without me. Medicine had shown its effect and the by the time poll ended my fever also came down and after collecting the material and sealing the ballot boxes we boarded the bus and returned to district headquarter. But by the time everything was deposited and I became free fever returned and I could muster sufficient courage to reach home and lie down and as surprised to know that my parents were also suffering from fever, cough and cold.        

My Second Election Duty as Presiding Officer Author: Dr.K.S.Kang

My Second Election Duty as Presiding Officer

Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

By the time my next election duty came I succeeded in coming back to my home town Chittorgarh in July 1995. After the pre election training which was held in the cinema hall of the town and auditorium of Sainik School at Chittorgarh I was informed that I was to head the polling party consisting of four polling officer to a remote village situated in Suhagpura police circle, now situated in Pratapgarh district but at that time it was situated in Chittorgarh district. After the collection of polling material our polling team along with three other polling parties in a truck that was either used to ferry cement or coal. The journey began with the customary squabble between polling officers and security guards as to who should sit in the front cabin of the truck along with the driver. At last the good sense prevailed as the security guards agreed, though grudgingly, to the rear part of the truck and the journey began in the afternoon and moon had come out when we reached the destination. The entire road was not metlled but it was mettled only up to Suhagpura after that it was only a track passing through besides a number of farms and even through a dried river. I could not remember the name of the village though we were received at the centre by the local village centre who was young and recently wedded as his hands were still red with henna. After reaching there the party members settled down and opened their tiffin box to have their dinner. In the morning I looked around that village was situated outside the village and there was also a rumour that leopard comes totake river from the pond situated near the school which was the polling station also. So in instructed polling members to secure the door and windows well though it was the time of summers. It was the only village I have seen in my life that did not have cattle so there was lack of fresh milk, though milk powder issued by WHO and UNICEF was available in the lone shop of the village. In fact this village was only a hutment where tribal belonging to Mina bhil tribe resided and their houses were scattered as most of them had their huts in their farms that gave me the feeling as if I was in some African country.

            This village was so remote that not only any govt. official visited it on the polling day but even the polling agents of contesting candidates also did not reach this place. So it was a difficult task to identify the voters so the headman of the village who was one of the few literate people of the village was given the duty of issuing voter slips to the voters by noting down their number from the voter list. As it was a remote place so there was hardly any difficulty in conducting the polls. It was the time when Mr. T.N. Seshan was Chief Election Commissioner and he implemented the code of conduct for the polls and saw that every political party and candidate follows it in word and spirit. After the polling was over somebody spotted a goat in the distant and one among us ventured to go near the goat and get the fresh milk so that tea can be prepared and served while we were waiting for the truck to come and pick us up to take us back to the district headquarter. As this place was quite far off from district headquarters so it was nearly early hours of morning when I reached my home after depositing the material at various counters in the ground of Shaheed Major Natwar Singh Government Senior Secondary School Chittorgarh.     

My First Election Duty as a Presiding Officer Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

My first Election Duty as a Presiding Officer

Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

When I joined government service it almost became imminent that sooner or later I will have to do duty during the elections and thus make my humble contribution in this mega exercise of democracy. My first duty in elections came in the year 1993-94 when I was working as an Assistant Professor in English at Government College Kekri, District Ajmer of Rajasthan. To manage the elections efficiently in India there is an Election Commission at the Centre with a Chief Election Commissioner and two Elections Commissioner. Then there is a State Election Officer in every state and at the district level ever District Collection becomes responsible for holding and managing the elections to the Lok Sabha, State Legislatures and to Local Autonomous bodies like city municipalities, Zila Parishads, Panchayat Samitis and Gram Panchayats. Though as a College teacher I have been doing election duty in Student Elections almost every year except a brief period from 1986-1991 and then from 2003-2008 when these elections were banned by the State Government of Rajasthan. However, in this article I will be talking about my duties in public elections only. District Collector ensures smooth conduct of elections through various Area magistrates, Zonal Magistrates, Police Officers and of course the Presiding who gives the real shape to elections by conducting the polling in his allotted Polling Station. 

            My first election duty came as a Presiding Officer and we all were called for training in the auditorium of Government College Ajmer. After the pre-election training where we were informed about the duties, responsibilities and of certain powers of Presiding Officers and some practical training how to seal the ballot box by fixing the green paper seal and the accounts that we have to maintain during the polling by keeping coordination between different polling officers. After the pre poll training I came to know that I was to proceed to a village named Ganehra situated on the outskirts of Puskar, the famous pilgrim place of Hindus known for world renowned Lord Brahma Temple. This village was also known for rose cultivation and its bi products like Rose Water, Rose Syrup or Sherbet and Rose perfume.

            I was made head of the team consisting of four polling officers. The function of Presiding Officer was to supervise the over all control of the polling station. He was also expected to sign at the back of the ballot papers besides filling and signing a number of formats and sealing various envelopes. First polling Officer’s duty was to identify the voter by seeing his identification document and then locating his name in the marked copy of electoral rolls. The function of second polling officer was to issue the ballot paper and asking the voter to sign at the appropriate place. Third Polling officer had also a voter list and the information about the voter given by the first polling officer was to be entered at appropriate besides making a sign with the indelible ink on the finger of the voter. And the last polling officer’s work was to had over the rubber seal to the voter that the voter took to the voting compartment with the ballot paper to make his choice with the rubber seal on the ballot paper. As the fourth polling officer also used to be incharge of ballot box so he was to ascertain that voter put the ballot paper into the box properly and handed over the rubber seal back.

            Though the distance between the polling station and district headquarters was barely 25 kms but it took me nearly whole day to collect the polling material along with the ballot boxes and the vehicle that was allotted to us and the other party member who were mostly school teachers of different levels working at Government schools. It was by evening that we reached the polling station and found that the polling station was the village school and here we were to stay also for two days. As this village was in the vicinity of the town so we did not had any difficulty of food as there was a hotel barely one km from the polling station. So the party members went by turn to have their meals while other polling parties, working in remote areas, were struggling to cook food with the dry rations that they had taken from the district headquarters. Though it was time of winters but I did not face any difficulty in sleeping on the ground as I had taken quilt and a mattress in my bedding.

            However on the polling day we faced difficulty regarding food though we had taken some ready made edibles like biscuits, bread, fruits and Namkeen a day earlier from the town. The polling was to be from 8 a.m in the morning to 5 p.m in the evening. Local villagers cooperated with us well and polling ended peacefully. But still a lot had to be done and we were already feeling tiredness overpowering us. However we packed our things, sealed ballot boxes, envelopes, completed various formats and the most difficult part of it was to deposit the things at the district headquarters as everybody was in hurry to deposit the things and as almost everybody reached at the same time so there were a long queues at every desk. However it was nearly midnight by the time everything was deposited and we got our relieving letters. As college was closing for autumn vacation so I went to the bus stand from where I took bus to my home after completing my first election duty successfully. This was my first election duty as a Presiding Officer in public general elections which is considered as spine of democracy.               

Introduction to Author

Introduction to Author

            Born at a small village Parao Mehna in Moga district  Punjab Dr. Khushwant Singh Kang was educated in one of the most prestigious institution or Rajasthan, Sainik School Chittorgarh Rajasthan, India where his father worked as Physics teacher. After graduation from Government College Chittorgarh Rajasthan in which he bagged National Merit Scholarship as he had secured 74^th position in the state. He went on to complete post graduation in English Literature from Maharana Pratap Government P.G.College Chittorgarh.After post graduation he got job of Assistant Professor in November1985 in College Education Department Rajasthan where he had been working in different Government Colleges teaching graduate and post graduate classes in various Government Colleges of Karauli, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Mandaphiya and Chittorgarh. He successfully completed a Minor Research Project sanctioned by UGC in 2000 A.D. and was awarded Ph.D degree on the topic “ Milton’s Philosophy of Gender Relations : A Study of Divorce Tracts and Paradise Lost “ from MDS University Ajmer in October 2002 under the supervision of Dr. Ramesh C. Tungaria. He actively participated in Project High-TEC conducted in the joint Collaboration of Director, College Education Rajasthan Jaipur and US Embassy who lent the services of  Senior English Language Fellow George Chinnery from 2007-2009. As a master trainer he trained English teachers of Government Colleges of Rajasthan in Teaching English Communicatively. Meanwhile he also completed in service training courses in 1994, 1995, 2001 and 2003 at Academic Staff College Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur. He was also part of second training program under Ms. Connie Greenleaf and as a master trainer he conducted two week training course at Udaipur. In 2003 he became member of Rajasthan Association of Studies in English and the member of ELTAI (English Language Teachers’ Association at India). He actively participated in annual conferences of RASE and currently he is General Secretary of the organization. In the year 2017 he translated a few poems by one Punjabi poet Bhupendra that was published under the title Dialogue with Silence by Aesthetic publications based at Ludhiana, New York and Brampton (Canada). Currently he is working as Associate Professor and Head , P.G. Department of English at Maharana Pratap Government P.G .College Chittorgarh Rajasthan India.