THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, April 28: Will the 2022 panchayat poll violence at Dalee, under the Chhaterpur police station limits, reverberate in the coming Lok Sabha polling on May 13, 2024?
The panchayat election was held in 2022. Here at Dalee, it was a turbulent panchayat election. Echoes of the unseemly last panchayat election are here at Dalee.
Erstwhile feudal and neo-rich just overtook the panchayat voting here, causing enormous outrage among the rustic poor. But like all other civic polls, the stir was made to die a slow end.
Gnawing poll pain
However, there is gnawing poll pain. Many believe even today that the free and fair panchayat election at Dalee in 2022 was a misnomer.
Voting was allegedly rigged there. Votes were stolen. The poll results were allegedly managed and manipulated.
Now, here at the upgraded high school at Dalee, there are three polling stations where on May 13, votes are to be cast.
The police administration is wary of the sordid affairs that occurred here at Dalee during the last panchayat election.
SP Reeshma Ramesan told the Jharkhand Story correspondent, “The last panchayat election has left some distaste for it.”
Here, people have not still forgotten about the last panchayat voting, which they reminisce to be anything but not fair, and dread if this coming Lok Sabha election will witness the same electoral malpractice here.
The police administration is highly concerned about this question and apprehension. It can’t afford not to delve into the minds of the electorates about the coming Lok Sabha election.
SP reads people’s mind
The SP and her team are making outreaches. They were there on Saturday. They just tried to read the people’s minds and moods.
There is a two-pronged task for the civil and police administrations there. One is to win the voters’ trust in the administration’s conduct of the voting.
Again, mass mobilization to cast votes will be necessary. The earlier and faster these two tasks are carried out, the smoother the results will be.
The 3 polling stations here at Dalee have been classified as vulnerable booths. This is a proper and genuine classification.
Categorisation of booths
Palamu police have been modestly careful about categorising booths. There is neither overdrive nor underdrive. The categorisation of booths is based on hard facts and incidents that happened to them.
The SP said, “I tried to feel the pulse of the electorates. Their memories of what had happened during the last panchayat election at Dalee are afresh.”
Reeshma Ramesan added, “I and my officers spoke to men and women here. They do say about the last panchayat election with contempt and scorn, but at the same time, they look extremely hopeful for a fair and transparent voting here this Lok Sabha election, voting for which is due on May 13.”
SP assures fair poll
“And it is here that I and my team reassure the electors that this May 13 voting at Dalee will be without any fear of anyone, be he a village bully or an erstwhile feudal or any neo-rich. Voting here will be held transparently at Dalee,” stressed the SP.
Police will have to tread here most cautiously. Those who try to influence or impact the voting for their ulterior motives take recourse to fake news. Police here will have to be extremely watchful of the social media. Its content will tell.
Reeshma Ramesan said, “There are 3 vulnerable polling stations here in this sprawling campus where space and environment are too conducive to fair voting. We will ensure it to the hilt.”
Security audit of vulnerable booths
“When my team and I were there for a security audit of these three vulnerable booths, classes were going on in the upgraded high school. I didn’t go inside the classroom, but I could observe the environs with a very open mind,” the SP pointed out.
On being asked if she or her team ever bought goodies for the kids like balloons, toffees, chocolates, biscuits etc, in the street there to connect with the parents of the kids, Reeshma Ramesan was most candid when she said, “When you have already pressing issues in and around the vulnerable booths, one’s attention remains focussed on security aspects instead of going for all these things that you reminded.”
The SP and her team have audited 6 vulnerable polling stations in 48 hours so far in the Palamu Lok Sabha constituency.
