BENGALURU: Elections to four Legislative Council seats and bypolls to two Assembly segments were conducted safely amid the Covid19 pandemic. Though the Election Commission ensured precaution at polling booths, Covid norms were violated during campaigning. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar told The New Sunday Express that they took adequate precautions and acted on every complaint filed. Excerpts.
What were the challenges faced in conducting the elections during the Covid pandemic?
The process of democratic governance cannot be just postponed indefinitely. Covid is the new normal and the Election Commission took this challenge to ensure that within the constraints and challenges how elections can be conducted without jeopardising anyone’s health and ensuring that all core democratic functions of election governance happen on time. Our personnel ensured that all precautions were taken, and the Health Department too extended help. It was a good exercise and we are gaining experience. It is not over till we go through the counting and announcement of results.
In hindsight, do you think measures taken were adequate or anything more was required?
We took adequate precautions, but definitely, still, as a society, we have to be more proactive. There were not many violations in polling stations or in places where nominations were filed. Violations were during campaigning. That again shows a general trend and not necessarily associated with the electoral process. We have to be more communicative. All stakeholders have to come forward to communicate as taking precaution not only helps the individual, but also the whole society. If society has to be saved from coronavirus, people have to adhere to norms. That was slightly a difficult task. However, cases were booked and are being investigated.
Despite EC’s best efforts, guidelines were violated. What action was taken against such violations?
As many as 39 cases were booked and they are being investigated (by the police). Marshals caught the violators and fined them. These are criminal cases under the Disaster Management Act that you are endangering the life of others, and infecting others them with communicable diseases. These are serious charges.
There is a perception that the action taken by EC is not swift and severe. Some leaders also say that they don’t know what happens to their complaints.
That is not correct. That may be more a rhetoric and far away from reality because every complaint is acted upon in 24 hours and on a poll day it is done in two hours. As many as 61 cases of MCC (Model Code of Conduct) violations were registered -- 36 in RR Nagar and 25 in Sira. These cases are under IPC and Representation of People Act. Also, 200 excise cases were registered. Many officials were also changed based on complaints and various other reasons.
However, not all complaints are verifiable. In 2019 general elections and also in 2019 byelections, we had the cVigil app. Whatever you are recording is geo-stamped and time tagged. It is better to upload a complaint through cVigil as it becomes valid evidence. No one can deny it. It all depends on evidence and without it complaints have no meaning. All complaints have been acted upon, but some complaints may be in the nature that is too disproportionate to time. The Election Commission depends on facts.
EC helped Covid patients to come and vote in personal protective equipment suits. Was it not better to allow them to cast postal ballots?
That option was given. For the first time, Covid patients, people very vulnerable (senior citizens) and people with disabilities were given that option. Many of them opted, while many did not and came to polling stations.