Presentationon Conduction of Elections (Innovations) Mysore District

What Elections mean to us in Mysore? Why Innovations? Innovations How it was done? Resources? The future The Agenda

1. Most important work of the Government machinery. Zero tolerance. 2. ‘Panchasheel’: 1. Election work comes first, always and every time 2. Check every moving vehicle, offences will be controlled 3. Sector Management is the key to election 4. Obey directions, and never criticize anything or anyone 5. Be polite to public, candidate and media 3. Took oath in the meetings.

1. ‘24x7 election’: Real-time communication, using a wide wireless network, and web-site. 2. Sector Management. 3. Restrictions, using local laws. 4. Fool-proof check posts and vehicle monitoring software. 5. Expenditure tracking.

1. Election is a 24x7 work! It can’t be handled in the traditional 9-5 manner. We need to be alert round the clock. Hence at every level, shift system was introduced. 2. Violations happen mostly at night, when the officers are taking rest. 3. Hence, 24x7 concept was brought in. Control room was established which will track the Election officials and their work. 4. Huge wireless network (300 sets) (disaster mgmt), was used for election round the clock with deadly effect. 5. Election officers, worked in 2 shifts. (may be the first in the entire state)

1. ‘Sector management’ is an excellent decentralization concept. If the ECI guidelines in this regard are followed in letter and spirit, violations will drop by minimum 60%. Mysore exactly did that magistrates per police station, in 2 shifts (total 240!). 120 sectors/vehicles with Beacon lights. For 11 assembly segments. 3. All fitted with wireless and hence on ‘real time’. 4. Practically no vehicle could ply in the district without being checked by a sector magistrate. 5. On the day of election, each sector had a control room, with supplies. Thus no re-polling anywhere. Incident free.

1. Processions: restricted to 120. Strength of a ‘company’. Using sec. 70, 71 of Police Act and sec. 20-A of RP Act. It ensured peace in the district. 2. Cash carrying restricted to: Rs. 30,000/- Anybody who wants to carry extra, can call up 1077 and get ‘permit number’, which will be relayed to sector to permit him/her. 3. Total ban on banners and buntings, using local laws. This brought the FIR numbers from 621 to just 18 cases! 4. Liquor shops closed 3 days in advance, in a surprise move, using Sec.144 of CrPC. 5. This time, liquor sale has been watched. More than 750ml will be recorded and watched.

1. 60 check posts established. Jointly managed by police/civilians. They worked in 3 shifts. Local resources were pooled. 2. Cascading type used (3 posts for 3 types of vehicles), so that no vehicle stops for more than 2 min. Hence, public were not inconvenienced. 3. New software was made by local college. It analysed the vehicle movement and gave valuable inputs. 4. Every vehicle, including all trains and buses were checked. 5. Separate teams for VVIP vehicles, to track them.

1. In the parliamentary election, shadow registers were maintained. Each candidate was followed round the clock by election officials. 2. All banks were asked to provide details of daily transactions. Separate ‘expenditure cell’ was established and monitored by officer of Central Excise dept. 3. Purchase of Gold/silver and apparels in huge qty were monitored and cross verified.

1. The Human resources were pooled from whole district from state and central govt. 2. The local bodies like, MCC, MUDA, Mysore palace board also contributed in terms of barricades, refreshments from for the elections officials round the clock. 3. The CEO, Karnataka office, sanctioned 50 lakhs more for extra vehicles of sector magistrates. 4. The wireless equipments were pooled from the temples, and disaster management offices. 5. We found that, with little more allocation of fund from ECI, the elections can be managed much more effectively.

1. The police hierarchical structure doesn’t allow the SP to function as a part of DEO team. He has to work under IG, DG etc. During elections, SP shall be only answerable to DEO, and none else. 2. After Elections, at least 6 months no transfer shall be made of senior officers, without consulting the ECI. 3. The MCC can come into effect 6 months before the date of election, as many start spending 6 months earlier-openly!

Thank you The ECI, for its path breaking initiatives. CEO, Karnataka office (Shri/Ramashesan, VidyaShankar, Suranjana, BV Kulkarni, Manoj Arya), for motivating us. Every member of ‘Team Mysore’, Mysore, including MCC, MUDA etc, for making it possible.