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
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.
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