The Election Commission of India has just dropped a huge bomb in the political equation of West Bengal. They have directed the repoll of all two hundred and eighty-five booths in Falta Assembly constituency. This far reaching decision completely nulls the voting that was held in the area on April twenty nine. It is very rare to have a whole constituency asked to stand in a line to cast another vote. This order has thrown all the party offices and the state administration into shock on account of the scale of its implementation.
The truth behind the voting day
In South Twenty-Four Parganas, the polling day, which started with the rising of the sun, was marred by high level violence and chaos. The political parties openly argued on the streets and frightened voters attempted to cope with both sides of the conflict. But people from nearby places such as Hashimnagar took to the streets demanding that “intimidation” by bike-borne thugs is addressed. Security forces rushed to restore order but the number of cries for help flooded in on them. It soon turned into a free-for-all, and a travesty of democracy.
Bizarre Tactics Inside the Booths
In reality, the attempted rigging looks like a plot culled from an ill-told political thriller. The electronic voting machines were the subject of frantic complaints by observers about the “strategic taping” of black adhesive tape over certain buttons on the machines. In some cases, even strangely, perfume was used on some buttons to make them smell better so they could be smelled by those targeted to vote for them. In addition to the creative sabotage, unauthorized voters regularly entered voting rooms with regular voters. It was an open display of brute strength to try and coerce the outcome of the election.
A Damning Observer Report.
Local election officials at first sought to cover up the mess by filing reports that the electoral process was predominantly peaceful. The Election Commission completely dismissed that story upon viewing the raw video footage by their special observers. They found that the official records of the presiding officers and what was actually captured on camera did not match up. The video revealed the same individuals voting several times and agents roam freely in restricted areas. In a few critical booths, the critical webcasting feeds were altogether absent.
The Power of the RP Act
The Representation of the People Act 1951, which had been deployed by the Election Commission, was the law with which the big gun was going to be played. They explicitly called on the provisions relating to the destruction of the voting process and capturing of booths, Section 58 and 58A. Such legal provisions give the poll panel absolute powers to cancel a local election from the environment is not proper. The law is a fail-safe designed to ensure the integrity of the ballot box. It enables the commission to press the button by itself when local authorities get in a panic.
The Pushpa Versus Singham Drama
The political fallout from this decision has been incredibly loud and intensely personal. The Trinamool Congress promptly attacked the move, questioning how long it took for the commission to have realised the move.Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh in immediate response questioned the delayed timing of the commission’s realisation. In the beginning of the fighting, the local TMC candidate, Jahangir Khan, openly likened himself to the brainwashed rebel ‘Pushpa’ in the film. He confronted the nominated police officer, a member of IPS known as Singham, in the middle of the street. BJP has, on the other hand, been campaigning on the rigging charges in a relentless manner, seeking complete vindication on the repoll order.
The Administration’s logistical nightmare
A fresh election has to be organised from scratch in only a few weeks, which is a mammoth headache for the district magistrate. Local officials must replace thousands of polling sites and staff with new voting equipment and thousands of polling staff, while handling a very volatile public. The new polling date is set for May 21st and the administration is working around the clock. Each and every auxiliary booth will be taken apart and re-secured prior to the first voter entering the door. For the local bureaucracy it is all the more oppressive to try to do it right.
Heavy Boots on the Ground
The area will look like a fortress on the morning of the new poll. The Central Armed Police Forces are already heavily dominating the area and entering the constituency. The goal is to “entirely neutralize the bike gangs that caused so much chaos in the first round of voting”. The Election Commission isn’t taking any chances on the local police this time around to handle the perimeter. There will be physical security by armed jawans at all the 285 polling stations.
A Delayed Verdict for Falta
This is an enormous upset and messes up the waiting period for the candidates waiting to find out their fate. Political future of the other areas of West Bengal would get clear much before that, but Falta is on a holding pattern. The date for voting in this hard-hit electorate has been delayed until May 24. The two major political parties will be in an excruciatingly tense waiting game for the additional weeks. The final figures from these heavily guarded boxes will probably be subject to strong public and legal scrutiny.
The Broader Message Sent
This dramatic act is a huge warning bell to all political operatives relying on intimidation strategies. The poll panel is showing itself to be highly tolerant of burning down the whole process and beginning anew if foul play is detected. An effective trick of stealing an election is no longer to take advantage of the good nature of local officials and have them simply overlook complaints. It’s a testament to the fact that digital surveillance and special observers have some real teeth that the RP Act is being enforced. Falta now stands as the epitome of an extreme and overt violation of the democratic line.
