The Election Commission could perhaps take a leaf out of Lalu Prasad’s book on how to run a voter awareness campaign.
Speaking at Basaitha in Bihar’s Madhubani district, the RJD leader tells people: “You have to first listen to the beep when you press a button in the EVM. If you don’t get the sound, ask the presiding officer to correct the machine. Don’t go away. Stand your ground. The officer would then be forced to ring up the BDO to send someone to rectify the machine or bring a replacement. He will say, ‘Sir, Sir, the machine is not functional. Please do something, otherwise these people will thrash me’.”
With a chuckle, Mr. Prasad quickly asks the people not to do any such thing. “If the voting machine is not replaced, don’t fret, a re-poll will be held,.” he explains.
“Don’t listen to the RSS scaremongers who have been saying the machine would cause electrocution. Nothing of that sort will happen,” Mr. Prasad said, exhorting them to turn up in hordes to the booths.
Published - April 29, 2014 11:30 pm IST