1. Why can't we think of categorizing the nation geographically into 8
or 10 zones?
EC may be a team like a supreme court bench [such special teams
can be created just three or six months prior to assembly election
with special budget allocated for their remuneration] made up of
eminent bureaucrats with integrity [though a rare commodity], top
officials from RAW, retired judges, police commissioners of specific
areas with known good track record, college principals etc.
Each zone can have such a team with also representatives from
major political parties.
Sir your observations are very correct and true.
Having said that this exercise of conducting elections in India is indeed too
big a task, too unwieldy and too complicated in a country with such huge
geographical area with multiple regional differences, location based
disadvantages, linguistic complications, growing number of trouble creators
[unfortunately sponsored/supported by political parties themselves in some
cases] too much of violence, pathetic illiteracy, general anarchy, lack of
adherence to any systematic approaches to any aspect of social life ,
indifference to rules and discipline [evident even in our temples] and many
other issues.
In this scenario no single individual however great, efficient and good he or
she may be, cannot be expected to exercise total control, nor supervision
nor can be expected to be an impartial judge/umpire for all sorts of
legitimate, silly and pathetically puerile and petty complaints from each and
everyone all these coupled with multiple and irresponsible media publicity.
Probably the following aspects can be worked out and in fact EC may be a
team like a supreme court bench [such special teams can be created just
three or six months prior to assembly election with special budget allocated
for their remuneration and training] made up of eminent bureaucrats with
integrity [though a rare commodity], top officials from RAW, retired judges,
2. police commissioners of specific areas with known good track record, college
principals etc. This team could also include governors [who could be moved
from the otherwise the meaningless titular gubernatorial hibernation]
Anyway when we can accept for whatever reason an election which extends
much longer than IPL season, why can't we think of categorizing the nation
geographically into 8 or 10 zones? Each zone can have such a team with also
representatives from major political parties [for this some criteria must be
fixed, not like the present trend of considering even the Left parties as a
national party when its total seats or percentage of votes is less than many
regional parties] from those zones.
With this team, we can even revert to safer old ballot paper voting and
conduct elections within a span of maximum 5 days all over the nation.
There are many more such possible reforms [if it sounds too big or a
controversial term] or reorganization or different models of management as
aspects of social inventions.
Unfortunately, we as a nation do not promote serious creativity and ideas to
float in the arena of social inventions which is a sign of healthy civilization
and growth strategy for governance oriented government model. Since we
fail to do it this space is filled by meaningless know all self sponsored
debaters, multiple NGOs with hidden agendas and opinions churning
factories of journalists and TV anchors all working with different or various
ideological prejudices.
We all must come out of our national weakness/trait of being uncritical
lovers or unloving critics and involve and/or invite ideas to improve systems
and put them in place then they will take care of the functioning which is
what MODI has done in Gujarat and since this creates a win-win situation for
all, expect certain vested interest groups, mafias, lobbies, arm chair critics,
it has delivered results.
3. Hope I have not transgressed my limits and expect serious replies and follow
up of these suggestions in appropriate forums through your contacts.