Election Duty-2019 Author; Dr. K.S. Kang

Election Duty-2019

Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

            In 2019 I was given additional charge of Drawing and Disbursing Officer of Government College Bari-Sadri. In fact the order had come in the last week of December 2018 and I assumed my additional duties in February 2019. So my name went in the list of the staff of Government College Bari-Sadri to the election office as a result of which I had got my duty in Khermalia Sector in Bari-Sadri legislative assembly constituency. As this place was near Bari-Sadri so I did not make any effort to get the place of duty changed as I had some official business to dispose before the colleges closed for the Summer Vacations. As these elections were held in the month of April which was quite a hot month in Indian summers. So I went to the villages allotted to early in the morning and used to come back to Bari-Sadri by afternoon and then used to rest in the staff room of Government College building at Bari-Sadri or at the residence of my colleague and by evening I used to return back to my headquarter village named Khermalia where I was expected to stay at Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendra building of the village. The headquarter where I was supposed to report was SDM office at Bari-Sadri.

 My zone was almost circular in shape starting from Bari-Sadri. After proceedinf from Bari-Sadri on Chittorgarh road for a couple of kilometers a road branched eastward bringing me to the first village of my zone Ambavalli. Polling booth was in the primary school of the village that was situated in the centre of the village. Moving further northward came the adjoining village Kiratpura and continuing the journey in the same direction came the third village of my zone Luharia where I met one of my student who was working as a guest faculty in the school. From this village after coming on gravel trail and traveling on it for a couple of kilometers came anther pucca road and moving northward on it and then turning towards East came the village Paraliya which was a large village of my zone as it had two polling booths. Moving further Eastward from here came my headquarter Khermaliya. Polling booth was in the village school while my headquarter and staying arrangements were in Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendra. Jus tooutside the village road again branched in two directions north and south. Moving towards north came the village Sirod while moving in the South came the village Bhagal. From Bhagal moving southward moving for a couple of kilometers brought you  to a village named Linkoda on Bari-Sadri – Nimbahera Road and moving westward from Linkoda after four kilometers came Bari –Sadri.

Besides performing other normal duties as required of a zonal magistrate the additional duty that was given to us was to take the mechanic of EVM and VVPAT along with us. So I took a person working as teacher with me in my vehicle on the polling day. Everything went normal on the polling day but in the evening this fellow proved to be useful as after the polls one polling party was unable to detach VVPAT from EVM as it was to be packed separately. He helped them in doing it thus providing a great relief to the distressed polling party and equally distressed presiding officer.