10-10-2005, 09:34 AM
The Asansol rigging: Whither ECI?
Oct 8 2005
Pioneer
Dipak Ghosh
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Asansol by-election held on September 29 was widely viewed as a litmus test of the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s commitment to hold rigging-free elections in West Bengal. For the first time in the history of any election, the ECI introduced central government employees as presiding officers in each of the polling stations. This was in obvious response to the report filed by Mr Afzal Amanullah, the Bihar cadre IAS officer who acted as special observer for West Bengal in the 2004 Lok Sabha election.
Mr Amanullah had been shocked by the partisanship displayed by the West Bengal government employees, who manned the booths. Each and every one of them were members of the CPI(M)-controlled Coordination Committee of State Government Employees. Besides, the policemen who were supposed to give security to the voters and ensure free and fair polls were, down to the last man, Marxist loyalists. They were members of the CPI(M)'s Non-Gazetted Police Karmachari Samity. After seeing the shocking scale of rigging, Mr Amanullah had recommended in his 13-page final report that the entire polling to the 42 parliamentary constituencies be countermanded.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Oct 8 2005
Pioneer
Dipak Ghosh
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Asansol by-election held on September 29 was widely viewed as a litmus test of the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s commitment to hold rigging-free elections in West Bengal. For the first time in the history of any election, the ECI introduced central government employees as presiding officers in each of the polling stations. This was in obvious response to the report filed by Mr Afzal Amanullah, the Bihar cadre IAS officer who acted as special observer for West Bengal in the 2004 Lok Sabha election.
Mr Amanullah had been shocked by the partisanship displayed by the West Bengal government employees, who manned the booths. Each and every one of them were members of the CPI(M)-controlled Coordination Committee of State Government Employees. Besides, the policemen who were supposed to give security to the voters and ensure free and fair polls were, down to the last man, Marxist loyalists. They were members of the CPI(M)'s Non-Gazetted Police Karmachari Samity. After seeing the shocking scale of rigging, Mr Amanullah had recommended in his 13-page final report that the entire polling to the 42 parliamentary constituencies be countermanded.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->