Throwing Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct to the winds and rendering its campaign against ‘cash for vote’ futile, political parties have spent huge cash to buy votes. Three hours on Monday night spent by Express at a major political party election office in Madurai brought to light the modus operandi of political forces in identifying beneficiaries and distributing cash to voters.
Around 10:30 pm, local functionaries of the party who came in groups to collect money from senior party functionaries were seen waiting patiently at their election office. A senior leader, who along with his supporters came in two sports utility vehicles (SUVs), entered the office.
“After the senior leader verified the voter list for each polling booth in our ward, he handed over about `30 lakh (per ward),” said a volunteer engaged in bribing voters, on condition of anonymity. The cash, wrapped in a white paper, was hidden in one of the SUVs, along with details of voter database and of bundles meant for each ward and area of Madurai.
“As cash handed over to us was in 500-rupee denominations, senior leaders first directed us to exchange them for 100-rupee-notes at the banks specified by them,” said a young volunteer. This volunteer belongs to an ‘external surveillance team’ formed by the political party to assist the local party functionaries and supervise the distribution of cash.
“After segregation of voters based on their party affiliations and neutral voters, the senior party functionaries examined the list and directed the party’s area functionaries to give only `200 each to their party sympathisers and neutral voters,” said an engineering student who had been involved in bribing voters.
“First, the cash was transported to the area secretary’s or ward councilor’s houses in their own vehicles from the party election office. Then, the area secretary would form a six-member team for giving out cash on each street,” he said.
The branch secretary would first keep the cash in a party supporter’s house on the street. Later, the secretary, along with an external supervisory team, would visit each house. “We check the booth slips of the voters in their house and cross-check with our lists. If their names match, we pay the cash,” said the volunteer. “Two grassroots-level cadre would be deployed at the entry and exit points of the street to alert us of the movement of flying squads.”