Author: Rakhi Chakrabarty
Publication: Mumbai Mirror
Date: May 2, 2006
The Left has mastered it to perfection in
West Bengal. According to Opposition leaders, while Marxist veterans educate
bogus voters on the use of alkali to erase the ink mark and vote again, their
musclemen create scare to keep away genuine voters
The Election Commission (EC) may have introduced
a slew of restrictions for Assembly elections in West Bengal. But, rigging
masters have showed yet again that they were one up in the game.
Opposition leaders say the much-touted 'scientific
rigging' of elections by the CPI-M has perfected into an art form in West
Bengal.
The process begins months ahead of the polls
and the party organisation works with the precision of a well-oiled machine.
The first step is doctoring the electoral
rolls. Months before any election, while names of the dead or non-existent
are included in the voters' lists, those of `staunch supporters' of an Opposition
party are struck off the list. Party whole-timers make sure they closely scrutinise
the lists throughout the year.
Once armed with the lists, the election machinery
of the Marxists is ready to face the polls. Large number of proxy voters,
both men and women of all ages, are mobilised to cast bogus votes. They are
carefully tutored by party veterans about their job -- like using alkali and
cream on finger to avoid ink mark -- before going out to vote.
During the election, party cadres jam booths
to delay or disrupt the poll process, if necessary. For this, they make allegations
against the presiding officer or the policemen posted outside the booth or
election agents of Opposition parties, among other things.
On the other hand, while party musclemen create
a scare scenario to keep genuine voters away from the booths, Left leaders
disown them as their people and even go to extent of condemning their acts.
The confusion created is then used to push in fake voters.
A booth-by-booth analysis after the polls
can reveal the efficacy of the organisation of the Left.
EC TO PROBE 'MISSING VOTERS' INCIDENT
Chief Electoral Officer Debashis Sen has said
the EC would conduct a probe into the deletion of names of around 140 voters
in the third phase of Assembly polls in the state that was held on April 26.
These voters have claimed that their names were there in the final electoral
rolls published on February 22 but they found them struck off when they had
gone to vote.
Eleven of them have already moved court on
the matter.
The fourth phase of polling is to be held
on Wednesday in the state.
