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.