I have seen several Loksabha
elections in the past. But none of them excited me so much like the 2014
elections. In almost every constituency there is tough fight between more than
two candidates. It is interesting to watch the debates on various TV channels and
innovative campaign in the field and through social networks. But I liked the
pre-EVM days for just one reason. Watching the updates regarding counting of
votes from morning till late night was such good fun during those days of
manual ballot papers. Now, within a couple of hours of counting, the results
are out and the excitement vanishes in no time.
But what I wanted to say is
something else. We have heard enough about supply of rice bags (no one wants it
now!), liquor bottles (always in demand), Sarees etc. I hear about a new strategy. Candidates have
become financially prudent and wise. Now they don’t want the voters to cheat
them after receiving any goodies.
The innovative method adopted by
a few persons is this: They give a coupon with a number written on it to the ‘voters’.
The people were told that if the candidate wins they can go to particular shops
and buy specific goods by producing the above coupon.
I analysed this innovation. The
candidates can gain a lot in this scheme:
a)
No election official or opposing party can catch
the distribution of any valuable before the election
b)
There is no expenditure to lure the voter before
the election
b) No voter can cheat them by not voting after
receiving a valuable
c) The
voter, in order to get the gift will vote for that candidate
d) Not
only that he will vote, he will tell many others also to vote for that candidate
by telling good about him. He knows that only if that particular candidate wins
he can get the gift!
e) The shop keepers who have tied up with the
candidate to supply the goods after the election will give a good discount to
the candidate because of the bulk orders. Since the candidate has won, he will
be in a better bargaining position with the shop keepers after the election.
They will pay much lesser amount for the goodies.
f) The election expenditure
monitoring team would have wound up their stay in the constituency by the time
the goodies are purchased and none would be interested to file a complaint at
that stage!
g) The secret will be perfectly
maintained by the recipients of the coupons from the winning candidate. Even
the recipients of coupons from the defeated candidates will quietly throw the
coupons to the bushes!
What an idea Sirji!
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| Photo: PIB |
Purchasing proxies
One man was rushing to his native constituency
very far away from the state capital where he worked. I asked him why the
urgency. He said, he has been asked by one of the candidates contesting in his
native constituency to make two ‘proxies’ file the nominations. He is supposed
to identify two persons belonging to the same community of the opponent so
that at least a few votes will get diverted! Of course, there is a cost to
this!
Bulk booking of railway tickets and cancellation
I am not sure of this. But people
say that there is another strategy followed to escape the eyes of the
expenditure monitoring teams. Train tickets for upper class berths in long
distance trains are booked from one location for a group of persons and those
tickets are cancelled in another location to take the refund. A safe transfer
of cash to deserving hands! But the time tested strategies of the hawala operators
who transact based on a code (the number in a specific currency note) is the
system to be busted as crores are ready to be delivered by those agents on
behalf of parties and individuals!
Tip of the iceberg
On 5th March the
Election Commission of India (ECI) issued the schedule for Loksabha elections
2014. Within a few days it appointed Election Expenditure Observers across the
country to keep a close watch on election expenditure of the candidates and to
ensure that no inducement is offered to the electors. The election expenses
ceiling for candidates has been revised by the Government of India vide
Notification dated 28th
February, 2014. As per the revised ceilings, the maximum limit of
election expenses for a Lok Sabha Constituency is Rs.70.00 lakh per candidate
for all States except Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Sikkim. For these three States
it is Rs.54.00 lakh per candidate. For
the Union Territories, the maximum limit is Rs.70 lakh per candidate for NCT of
Delhi and Rs.54.00 lakh per candidate for other UTs. One person who worked very
closely with a party commented: ‘It is realistic if they make it per-day
ceiling!’
Within just a few weeks of
declaration of elections, the Election Expenditure Observers from the IRS and
their colleagues have seized Rs 195 cr illegal money transported for meeting election
expenditure. The state of Andhra Pradesh lead with a seizure of Rs 118 cr. Apart
from this 25.56 lakh litres of liquor and 70kg of Heroin were also seized.
A company who is in the area of
media and publicity was approached by a few people to take up the campaign for
their candidates. But they said, they will give only 10% of the amount by
cheque and the rest will be by cash. The company refused the contract. Glad
to hear about such a company which did not fall for the black beauty.
(Views are personal) Sibichen K Mathew
Good insight into the campaigning . personally i am not following the elections as mayank is but your post was very informative as usual.
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