Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj is firm on ensuring an inducement-free election by creating an atmosphere where voters feel empowered to exercise their franchise without any pressure of allurements from any quarter. In the light of the series of transfers ordered by the ECI on Wednesday, Mr. Vikas Raj evaded a reply on whether more such decisions are in the offing. “Let’s see,” was how he responded.
The CEO shared some of this thoughts on the preparations being made for the forthcoming elections, slated November 30, in an interview with M. Rajeev.
What challenges do you see in ensuring the conduct of free and fair polls?
Regular process for the conduct of the poll itself is challenging. There will be close to two lakh staff deployed on election duties. They should be trained and positioned to work without making any mistakes in the conduct of the elections. The outside environment has basically more to do with impartiality of the machinery including all the regulatory departments.
At a time the election authority is striving hard for inducement-free elections, huge amounts are being caught by the enforcement agencies. What is your take on this?
An amount of ₹37 crore, bulk of it cash and gold, has been seized since the announcement of the election schedule. We can see the issue in both positive and negative ways. The way so much cash is moving around is something which should not be there. It has primarily to do with the enforcement or the lack of it. On the positive side, our efforts are paying off in apprehending such people.
With elections round the corner, have efforts been initiated to identify sensitive areas/constituencies?
There are detailed guidelines issued by the Election Commission to identify critical polling stations and vulnerable areas. Over 10,000 critical polling stations have been identified so far. When it comes to vulnerability, it is basically dynamic in nature. We have to understand why vulnerability is being felt and identify who are responsible for a section of voters feeling vulnerable. The list of vulnerable areas is under preparation based on the feedback from different sources as well as from the political parties.
What are the security arrangements that are being put in place?
The total requirement assessed on the basis of different criteria for the forthcoming election is around 65,000 personnel. We have around 40,000 personnel available in the State as of now. We have started efforts to get 20,000 more personnel from the neighbouring States where there are no polls. This is in addition to the Central Armed Police Force. Orders for deployment of 100 companies of CAPF have been received from the Ministry of Home Affairs based on the instructions from the ECI. We will have to assess the situation from time to time.
Any additional arrangements in view of the fact that the upcoming polls are perceived as high stake elections?
For the election authority, elections are elections. The core functions that we are expected to carry out remain the same. The ECI has devised detailed plan to train officers and people at different levels since the past three to four months. The environment outside, however, changes from time to time and we will take steps accordingly.
