THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : "You are just a presiding officer. You need to act accordingly. Otherwise, we will chop off your hands and legs!”
This was the threat an election official allegedly faced in a CPM stronghold for trying to prevent bogus voting during the last local body polls in December 2020.
The officer, K M Sreekumar, was the leader of a Left-leaning service organisation. And the threat came from none other than the then local MLA K Kunhiraman.
Sreekumar, who was deployed as presiding officer at GLPS Kizhakkumbhagam ward in Kasaragod’s Uduma constituency, did not yield to the intimidation. Consequently, the polling percentage in the constituency dropped from 94% in the previous election to 83% that year.
The incident came to light as Sreekumar shared his harrowing experience on social media. Though he had initiated legal action, the issue was later put to rest abruptly.
This was not an isolated case. There have been numerous accounts by polling officials who have faced such harassment while on duty.
Polling agents of rival fronts also end up helpless in bastions of different parties. “The agents are intimidated. They are forced to sit through the whole process as mute witnesses,” said a former presiding officer. “If they raise any issue, they will face unpleasant consequences. They know they will be hounded, attacked.”
Bogus voting begins as soon as polling starts in the morning. Through blatant impersonation, party cadres cast votes of those who support the rival party within the booth limits. Generally, they choose the elderly and strong supporters of the rival party.
They reach the polling booths with old, faded voter ID cards. None of the polling agents of the rival party would oppose due to fear.
“Let’s say there is an 83-year-old Divakara Panicker who votes for X party. The rival party cadres would send another elderly individual to cast Panicker’s vote at 7am itself,” an official explained.
“The rival party’s agent would be aware that it’s not Panicker, but would remain silent due to fear. Later, when Panicker comes to cast his vote, he will be told that his vote was already cast. If he insists, he may cast a tendered vote. Some do, while others play safe and leave.”
Another ‘legitimate’ way of fraud is ‘open voting’, where people with disabilities like visual impairment are assisted by someone to cast their votes. It’s said to be the most convenient way of bogus voting, and is common in so-called ‘party’ villages.
Party cadres arrive at the booths along with elderly individuals, and claim that the voter is visually impaired. The presiding officers usually allow the assisting individual to cast the vote.
At times, just for the sake of it, the officer might ask the actual voter to identify a particular colour. The voter will obviously fail the test, and the accompanying partymen are allowed to ‘assist’.
If the presiding officer takes a firm stance, the cadres are alerted. Intimidation begins.
Booth agents of the dominant party will create a ruckus, arguing that the visually impaired person could end up pressing the wrong button. If the poll official remains adamant, another round of threats begins. This would go on for the entire day.
“Polling agents are threatened. Often, more than 5 per cent of open votes are cast this way. “Polling officials, too, are intimidated to avoid presenting the actual number of open votes when they submit data to the Election Commission (EC),” said Mohammed Blathur, a KPCC member from Kannur.
Mohammed expressed hope that such incidents will not be rampant in the upcoming polls. “This time, thanks to live webcasting by the EC, bogus voting is likely to come down.”
Kannur CPM leader TV Rajesh maintained that allegations of bogus voting were baseless. “We, too, can raise such allegations against the UDF. If they have evidence, let them approach the EC,” he said.
Political observers, however, would not brush aside the issue. The most crucial phase is said to be between 3.30pm and 4pm. With just about an hour for polling to end, the ‘ghosts’ and ‘NRIs’ arrive to vote.
Party workers, with the help of polling agents, gather information about people yet to cast their votes – those who are deceased but whose names still remain on the voters’ list; those who are abroad; and others who have not been able to make it to the polling booth.
It’s alleged that, in some ‘party villages’ of north Kerala, people are recruited to replace the missing voters. They would be allowed to vote, as officials work in an atmosphere of fear.
The moment a polling official enters a booth, party workers do a background check. Depending on the official’s political affiliation, they choose the strategy. Threatening calls by prominent leaders and raising a ruckus at the booth are common tactics.
“There are instances when some people vote six or seven times. They would change their attire each time,” said an official. “Once they gain confidence, they would come in the same attire. Polling officials will be frightened, and desperate to leave the place.”
So a spike in polling percentage might not always indicate a healthy democracy, officials noted. Especially in the case of ‘party villages’. Will the EC’s measures, such as live web streaming, help curb malpractices? We will get to know that on April 26.