THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, May 19: The incident-free May 13 polling in four assembly constituencies in the Palamu Lok Sabha has had its happy effects on the polling parties here today which rolled out for 326 polling stations in the Panki assembly constituency where voting is on May 20 for the Chatra Lok Sabha seat.
Hope and trust among poll parties
There was an outbreak of hope and trust among the 326 polling parties. They looked convinced that their embarking on the poll duties for May 20 had been made safe and secured by the civil and police administration.
The trust of the polling parties the Palamu administration won in bulk this time which in the previous Lok Sabha elections like 2009, 2014 and even in 2019, if there was anything in a huge deficit, then it was the trust. The polling parties used to be scared of what was in store for them then.
The scene is different this time. Teams of the returning officer Shashi Ranjan and SP Reeshma Ramesan pulled along well with the ground level. Neither the returning officer Shashi Ranjan nor the SP Reeshma Ramesan talked big. Rhetoric’s the two avoided most.
Woman cops outsmart male cops
Again, it would not be any exaggeration to say that woman cops outsmarted the male cops. Never in the annals of the Lok Sabha election here in Palamu there had come such a huge number of woman cops than in this Lok Sabha election and the lady cops coming from other states found a lady SP in Reeshma Ramesan who knows her job well and refuses to be influenced.
Returning officer Shashi Ranjan looked relaxed today at the dispatch centre of the Panki assembly constituency at the GLA college ground.
On May 13 Shashi Ranjan looked overstressed, not tense but it was different today. He talked standing to the press saying, “I have appealed to my entire fleet of the Sakhi Mandals to move in and out motivating eligibles to cast vote. Every Didi of the Sakhi Mandal is an ambassador for a vote on behalf of the returning officer. It’s my ‘Neota’ (invitation) to the woman self-help groups.”
No movement of polling parties at night
Shashi Ranjan further stated. “The dispatch of the polling parties is P minus 1 which is a day ahead of the May 20 voting. But for the deposit for the polled EVMs etc it will be P plus 1 that is our 326 polling parties will move to the Chatra district collectorate on May 21 to deposit the polled EVMs etc. No movement at night on May 20/ 21. The movement is to be in daylight.”
SP Reeshma Ramesan on the other hand said ‘We have an adequate number of the QRTs. It’s in a position to sprint in second. Police officials who conducted the 4th phase polling in vulnerable and critical areas on May 13 have again been pressed into the May 20 voting.”
Facilities for lady cops
The SP went on to say, “Two companies of lady cops are deployed. There is going to be a well-meaning assured facility like a separate washroom for them at the intermediatory strong room. Some accommodation issues regarding the lady cops during the May 13 polling did arise. Now, it has been sorted out.”
Nodal officer of the Karmik Koshaang Kundan Kumar who is the additional collector said nine booths in the Panki assembly constituency have been relocated where the respective BDOs and COs have been directed to take care of the free conveyance of the voters.
Kundan Kumar further said that 20 ‘Pardanasheen’ polling stations have been set up for the Panki assembly constituency.
Two women-managed booths
Two polling stations will be all-woman-managed booths, one each at Mundarya and Basoura, added Kundan Kumar.
Persons with disabilities will be manning 2 booths, one at Darudeeh and the other at Adivasi Tola while there is one booth manned by Youth!
Master trainer Parshuram Tiwary said as there are 22 candidates in the poll fray for the Chatra Lok Sabha seat, the NOTA is also there and hence it is appropriate to call 23 in the poll fray. “So there are 2 ballot units for the Chatra Lok Sabha seat while Control Unit and VVPAT will be just one each.
The Jharkhand Story correspondent put one identical question to Returning Officer Shashi Ranjan and SP Reeshma Ramesan to know how different they view their preparations for the May 20 voting to which they said, “We were not any complacent for May 13 voting nor are we any for May 20 voting. Ours is the same seriousness and meticulous preparations where laxity has no place at all.”
