My Election Duty as Reserved Zonal Magistrate Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

My Election Duty as Reserved Zonal Magistrate

Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

Before coming to my experience of working as a Zonal Magistrate in rural area I would like to relate my experiences of  the duty of Reserved or Non-functional Zonal Magistrate. I was given such duties twice once at Doongla and then at Bhupalsagar. In the beginning I considered myself as fortunate at getting reserved duty but soon the enthusiasm frittered away after the first pre poll training as everybody’s property is no body’s property so no body cared for us or gave attention to us. Then there was a great atmosphere of uncertainty as the reserved duty can be converted into active one any moment and then you don’t know the area that you will be given as it will be totally new and its problem unknown and territory unseen  by you. Even we had to struggle to get minimal transport and staying facility at our destination. On the day polling parties were proceeding towards their polling stations the reserved zonal magistrates were asked to sit in a tent. As parties were going in their vehicles we watched them go sitting in the tent whole day. When evening was about to set I approached for the vehicle and they gave one vehicle and that too Tata Magic between two Reserved Zonal Magistrates. I was put together with one of my another colleague Dr. Deva Ram, who taught Economics in Government College Nimbahera. Driver of the vehicle was instructed to leave us at Government Senior Secondary School Dungla where we had to stay and then report to the SDM office of Dungla.  An interesting anecdote happened during this election, as we were starting for our destination one person, who had missed his bus as he was late requested us to take him also as he had to report to his Presiding Officer before night otherwise he mayhave to face disciplinary action.  As his station was on our route so we took and his luggage into our vehicle as he was also a government servant. Then I collected my bedding from my home and set out for our destination. After leaving this fellow at his polling station we reached our destination by evening. At the school we found that two polling parties were already staying in the school . We were given a room where we put our luggage and opened our beddings and slept for the night but in constant alert mode as we were expected to put our mobile phones on and charged as we could be called at any time at a moment’s notice. It was a time of uneasiness, uncertainty and stress. Time was passing very slowly but I had a good discussion on variety of topics with my learned friend. However in the morning the polls began and I and my colleague went out to have some breakfast and by then we were assured that perhaps now our services will not be required so we heaved a sigh of relief. After the polls were over we tried to contact the vehicle by which we had come but to our dismay we came to know that that vehicle had gone back to the district headquarters the moment he had dropped us here. So we came back on the vehicle of the polling parties that were staying in the school and reached district headquarters  

My next such duty was at Bhupalsagar. This time I was put with my another colleague from my own college Mr. Dharam Pal Goyal, who belongs to Haryana and worked for some time in IIT Kanpur and teaches Chemistry at my college. This place was roughly 50 kms from the district headquarters. In this duty after the usual pre poll training that is boring, repetitive and monotonous and waiting in the tent or the whole day in the tent in the atmosphere of uncertainty we were given the last vehicle that departed from district headquarters that brought us to out destinations. Our staying arrangements were made in the building of Committee room of Panchayat Samiti at Bhupalsagar. In the room there was a circular tale with chairs with a clear cut division between treasury and opposition benches. So I opened my bedding for the night on opposition benches while Prof. Goyal put his bedding on the treasury benches. Main difficulty that we encountered during this duty was getting proper food though Bhupalsagar was a town know for its Sugar Mill that became defunct now. Sometimes we had to walk even three to four kilometers to come to some hotel on Highway to get food. On the polling day al the hotels were closed. However we manged some ready made edibles for that day. The only relief was that the polls passed peacefully without needing our services though as usual time passed slowly and uneasily but we used to go on long walks to spend our time. After the polls we took the vehicle of polling party and came to district headquarter. There is so much uneasiness, tension and uncertainty in this duty and sometimes it appears that to have an active duty is better than to be in reserved duty atleast you know your destination and territory.