Voting right

Sir ? In spite of the measures to ensure free and fair polls in West Bengal, the Election Commission has been stumped by technical mismanagement. On the day of voting in Calcutta, my parents and I had queued up at Naktala High School for Girls, our polling booth, at 6.30 am so that we could cast our votes by 7. However, the queue had not moved by 7.20 am. On enquiring, a police officer on duty informed us that the electronic voting machine was not working. It was only when a spare EVM was brought from a government office that we could finally cast our votes at 8.30 am. But my old and ailing parents had to come away without being able to exercise their franchise since they could not stand in the sun for so long. A number of elderly voters as well as ailing persons had to return home without having cast their vote. Although the Central Reserve Police Force personnel on duty conveyed the news of the EVM malfunction to the authorities, neither the sector officer nor the observers bothered to visit the booth to inspect and explain the problem or even to apologize for the inconvenience. In future, will the EC please ensure that all EVMs are properly functioning a day before the election? It is also important to keep an adequate number of spare machines close at hand, preferably with the sector officer at the venue. Also, given the long queues at polling stations, there should be provisions such as benches for the old and the infirm to rest.

Yours faithfully,
Santanu Ganguly, Calcutta

Sir ? Barring the case of a handful of genuine voters failing to exercise their franchise because of the exclusion of their names from the voters? list, there was no major untoward incident in the third phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal. Thus, compared to earlier instances, these polls have been considerably fair. On earlier occasions, voters frequently lost their franchise either because of false voting or intimidation by political goons. Unbelievable but true, this time round, the polling process has found favour with the political parties and people alike. The EC?s success proves that truly democratic elections in India are no longer a mere fantasy.

Yours faithfully,
Raj Bagri, Calcutta

Sir ? Although the EC deserves praise for the remarkable job it has done with the Bengal elections, some of its actions should come under the democratic scanner. While on the lookout for poll disruptors, some of the observers made statements that seemed to portray the entire electorate of the state as indisciplined and lawless. It is unfair to the EC to say that it was swayed by the opposition propaganda about the ruling party?s rigging tactics. In no part of the country are polls free from irregularities. Whatever be their magnitude in West Bengal, the Left Front could not have won time and again just on the strength of false votes. It would have been better if the EC had restricted its precautionary and pre-emptive measures to the trouble-prone areas only ? of which it surely has extensive and accurate knowledge. There is no point in unleashing a new terror on the voters in the name of rescuing them from political terror.

Yours faithfully,
Tridib Roy, Calcutta

Sir ? The peaceful and trouble-free assembly elections in West Bengal so far justify the five-phase polling format that was vehemently opposed by the left parties. While the hirelings and henchmen of political parties were unhappy with the EC?s directives, the ordinary voter had every reason to feel satisfied and relieved. Not only were the voters not intimidated, the disfigurement of public and private property was also contained. The weeding out of false voters has also been a major achievement. Doubtless, the ruling Left Front will try to take credit for these but, hopefully, the intelligent Bengali will know who to thank for this.

Yours faithfully,
C.N. Kumar, Bangalore

Sir ? A large share of the credit for the peaceful elections in the third phase must go to the deputy election commissioner, Anand Kumar, who worked tirelessly for twelve hours at a stretch on polling day. If he was at Ultadanga at 7 am, he was at Behala by 5 pm, and his supervision covered the whole of Calcutta. Yet, he was calm and polite when voters complained about slow polling. One cannot remember when Calcuttans had last voted so fearlessly. That the cadre and hired goons of political parties were rendered jobless only points at their role in perpetrating violence in the previous elections. If the elections are not for creating mayhem, the EC has succeeded in establishing that neither is it a festival. One hopes that a day will come when, as in some European countries, students and pensioners will be able to smoothly conduct local and panchayat level elections.

Yours faithfully,
Govind Das Dujari, Calcutta

Sir ? The 2006 assembly elections in West Bengal have been unique in many ways. First, the names of many genuine voters, including some eminent citizens, were deleted. Second, booths were jammed, as on previous occasions, but this time not by party cadre but by officials and paramilitary forces which resulted in polling beyond 5 pm. Third, people who did not belong to the state conducted the polling. Finally, the total votes polled in Calcutta were less than that in the last assembly elections. Thus, there is no reason for the EC to gloat over its achievement.

Yours faithfully,
Asim Kumar Bhattacharya, Calcutta

Sir ? It was most pleasing to find polling happening in a disciplined manner in West Bengal for the first time after 1977 despite the tall claims of the Left Front that elections have always been free and fair in the state. However, if the opinion and exit polls are to be believed, then the claim of the opposition parties that the left has held on to power for three decades by rigging, violence and intimidation seems to be an inadequate explanation. If the Left Front can return to power with a larger majority this time, then its claim of always coming to power by free and fair means cannot be refuted even if it is difficult to believe.

Yours faithfully,
Kalyan Ghosh, Calcutta

Sir ? It was observed this time that in some areas of the state, the percentage of votes polled increased, while in others it decreased, vis-?-vis the last assembly elections. The former can be attributed to large numbers of genuine votes being cast and the latter to the absence of false votes cast. For many years, Bengal?s voters had been denied the fundamental right of exercising their franchise. The left?s claim that the five-phase poll was an insult to the people of Bengal has been overturned by the huge voters turnout.

Yours faithfully,
Santanu Datta, Calcutta