Gujarat polls: EC is the real hero in this election

Gujarat assembly elections of 2012 moved several steps closer to the ideal of ‘free and fair’ polls. It has been felt that there were fewer lurid posters, rhetorical speeches and muscle-flexing ‘party workers’ this time. The reason is not a suddenly reformed political class but the iron hand of the Election Commission, which cracked down on several activities that deny a level playing field for all candidates.

The script of an election in India would typically revolve around two main characters – political parties and voters. For the first time, the conventional script has been junked to include a new pivotal character – the Election Commission of India.

Instead of just being an independent body providing logistical support to the electoral process, the EC this time took a step beyond to stir the moral conscience of society. The Commission urged people to exercise their right to vote, instead of enjoying polling day as yet another holiday. In a society as complex, diverse and chaotic as ours, it is a herculean task to say the least. Nevertheless, for most parts, one can say the Commission has succeeded. “It has been pretty satisfactory,” said chief electoral officer of Gujarat, Anita Karwal, on Tuesday afternoon as the final figures of voter turnout trickled in.

The state’s average turnout of 70.35% is the highest in the history of Gujarat. “We have made a dent in the whole process of election management. This time, it has been scientific and systematic,” she added. The voter slips delivered on voters’ doorsteps was a cracker this time. Karwal feels the entire voter education programme helped in improving voter turnout.

Besides voter awareness, there has been a targeted focus on controlling the use of money and muscle power. The EC has kept a hawkeyed vigil on monitoring candidates’ expenditure; cracked down on paid news that could potentially sway voters’ perception; minutely monitored every kind of printed material to ensure that no covert attempt to polarize votes was made through anonymous leaflets or posters; and last but not the least, an elaborate process of checking, rechecking and updating electoral rolls that continued till days before the polling day.

The visibility of candidates of major parties has been a tad lower this time due to the pre-requisite to justify every poll expenditure to the Election Commission. From traditional voters, there have been murmurs of the usual ‘tempo’ of elections missing due to the absence of posters and hoardings. On the other hand, many see it as a blessing. It is the candidates with deep pockets who have invariably had an unfair advantage here. They put up sensational posters intended to overwhelm the voter and capture his/her mind space.

“It has not been easy. Our team started working last year in April for house-to-house verification. Some booth-level officers (BLOs) now know people by their face and name. Nevertheless, we realise that we have still not reached many and there is a lot of scope for improvisation. Our BLOs have been very dedicated and done a great job,” Karwal said.

For want of a policy decision, political parties could not stopped from fielding candidates with a criminal background, but the awareness campaigns in a way ensured that more citizens took interest in the political process. The first step is to know the candidate and take responsibility for electing him/her.

“It is a patriotic job for us. The message we sent people is can you come up with a rational reason not to vote? In 2007, 20 lakh Amdavadis did not vote. We don’t have to fight for our freedom any more; so we don’t value it,” said another senior official who has requested anonymity.