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.