|
| 'Indian election is abt delivering in remotest area' |
| Election Commission / May 17, 2009, 00:36 IST |
|
The Indian election is considered as the largest democratic and election management exercise in the world. The magnitude and the complexities of this exercise are simply mind-boggling.
Indian elections are about mobilising millions of human resource; They are about enrolling 713.77 million voters; about setting up of 834,000 polling stations; about training, managing information and about enforcement. It is about delivering democracy in the remotest of the remote locations, strengthening the democratic foundations of this nation and reinforcing our faith in the electoral system and its efficacy.
As we talk to you at this press conference, 12 men out there in Zanskar sub-division in Jammu & Kashmir are trekking towards two polling stations — 39-Ralakung with 23 voters and 40-Phema with 14 voters — thus a total of 37 voters.
The whole day yesterday we tried our best to ensure the Indian Air Force helicopters were able to land carrying the polling personnel and electronic voting machines to conduct the poll as per schedule. As the landing became impossible due to terrain conditions, two polling parties consisting of 12 men (polling team consisting of one presiding officer, one polling officer and one constable, one satellite phone operator and two porters) left today at 04.00 AM on an arduous trek of over 45 km through knee-deep snow to reach the polling stations located at an altitude of 13,700 ft.
To reach these polling stations they have to cross a pass which is locally known as Ralakung La and is at a height of 16,100 ft. We expect these twelve polling personnel to reach the locations by tomorrow night to set up the polling stations for polling on 15 May. We will track their movement using satellite phones.
The homework for this general election started long ago. Since the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election in December 2008 the Commission has put in relentless effort to make it happen. The full Commission would like to express its gratitude to N Gopalaswami, the former Chief Election Commissioner who oversaw all the arrangements for the general elections and the first phase of the polls.
The Commission is immensely satisfied about the entire poll process that took place in five phases. Barring a few incidents of violence the entire poll process has been largely peaceful. There has been unfortunate loss of lives of polling personnel, security personnel and other civilians. The commission deeply condoles the death of individuals who died while performing the sacred duty of conducting elections.
The Commission would like to thank the entire election machinery of the country. It may not be out of place to mention that this huge exercise is managed and monitored by the Commission Secretariat, which has a staff strength of only 310.
I would also like to thank the over 2,046 observers, 1.4 lakh micro-observers who assisted them, 46.9 lakh polling staff directly deployed in polling stations another equal number of staff and officers used in various election-related capacities. The Commission would like to thank all the security personnel from the Central Police Forces (CPF) and State Police Forces.
We would like to thank Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta; Union Defence Secretary, Vijay Singh, Air Chief Marshal FH Major, Railway Board Chairman, SS Khurana, Civil Aviation Secretary MM Nambiar and also the Air India chairman. We would also like to thank the director generals of the CPFs. The chief secretaries, home secretaries, directors general of police, CEOs, DEOs, returning officers and the supporting staff, including the nodal officers in the states.
The poll has been completed in all the 29 States and 6 Union Territories covering 543 parliamentary constituencies as well as in 294 Assembly constituencies (ACs) of Andhra Pradesh, 147 ACs of Orissa and 32 ACs of Sikkim.
The total number of candidates contesting the elections were 8,070 in the parliamentary constituencies. The highest number of candidates is 43 in 3-Chennai South PC in Tamil Nadu where the poll was held in the 5th phase and the lowest number of candidates is 3 in the Nagaland parliamentary constituency for which poll was held in the 1st phase
The number of polling personnel deployed were 46,90,575 across the country.
Vulnerability mapping was done of all the constituencies to ensure a free and fair poll and a total of 86,782 villages/hamlets were identified and 373,861 persons were booked under various preventive sections.
To monitor the poll 74,729 videographers were deployed and 40,599 digital cameras were deployed in the polling stations. 2,046 observers were deployed and to assist them 139,284 micro observers were deployed.
119 special trains comprising of 3,060 coaches were used to transport CPF. 55 helicopters were deployed and they performed 589 sorties. 648 polling stations in all had repolls/adjourned polls. Overall voter turnout for the first four stages is 55.4 per cent
Excerpts from the statement made by the Election Commission of India at a press conference in New Delhi on 13 May, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Read Business news in |  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertisements |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Content Guide
