The Hindu : National / Elections 2004 : To the polling station, on an elephant

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Tuesday, Apr 20, 2004

National

National - Elections 2004

To the polling station, on an elephant

Sushanta Talukdar

A MAMMOTH TASK: An election official climbing on to an elephant on his way to duty at Nartap in the Guwahati constituency on the Assam-Meghalaya border. Elephants, horses and country boats are being used for carrying the electronic voting machines and other material to the remote areas of Assam. Election is being held for six Lok Sabha seats in the first phase on Tuesday in the northeastern State. — Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

NORTAP

Tapanjit Rajkonwar, presiding officer of the Borkachang polling centre in a Karbi village near the Assam-Meghalaya border under Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency, was excited. He was about to ride on an elephant for the first time in his life.

On Monday, the history lecturer at Damadoma College in lower Assam rode on the back of Lakhimala, a 60-year-old female pachyderm, for nearly three hours on Monday to reach the polling centre, located on top of a hill. He clutched an electronic voting machine (EVM) with one hand and the mahout, Umesh Rabha, with the other; the tension was visible on his face. Polling will be held tomorrow between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

"I was feeling excited ever since the last day of the training course when the sector officer, Kanak Baishya, told us we would have to travel on elephant back as the road to the polling centre was not motorable in the rainy season. But I was a bit worried as it would be my first elephant ride and also because I would have to carry the EVM and other poll materials," Mr. Rajkonwar said.

The mahout was also happy as he was being paid Rs. 4,500 for transporting the polling personnel to and from the centre. "For the past several months I had not earned a single pie from the elephant while I had to feed it at least 10 to 12 banana trees a day. The money I will earn from this election duty will at least lessen my worries about arranging its fodder during the lean season."

Lakhimala was accompanied by two other elephants — Jatraparsad, a 36-year-old male and a female also called Lakhimala.

Suren Talukdar, the 60-year-old polling officer who aslo travelled on an elephant, looked nervous and checked his shirt pocket every now and then to be sure he had not forgotten the medicine for high blood pressure.

"Everybody at home is worried. I had never ridden on an elephant. I am due to retire in December and have high blood pressure, I don't know how I am going make it," Mr. Talukdar said.

Loknath Mahanta, Circle Officer of Sonapur circle in Kamrup district, said the three elephants were requisitioned for three days for transporting the 10 polling personnel and nine security personnel to the polling stations of Bandargog and Barkachang along the Assam-Meghalaya border. Bandargog has 596 voters and Barkachang 992.

Apart from elephants, country boats were also used to ferry polling personnel to the remote areas of the Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency while in places such as Lengpi in Boko with about 1,200 voters, the polling teams trekked about 12 km of jungle to reach the polling centres.

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