The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Tiruchi News : EC earns bouquets for violence-free poll

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 17, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

EC earns bouquets for violence-free poll

Special Correspondent

System of booth slip distribution, confidence building measures and steps taken to ward off clashes attracts more voters

Organisations and people commend the strict guidelines laid down to ensure fair conduct

— Photo:M.Moorthy

no identity crisis:People queuing up at the polling booth in Kamaraj Nagar, Tiruchi

TIRUCHI: Various organisations and political parties have commended the Election Commission in general and the local officials in particular for ensuring fair and incident-free polling in the central districts on Wednesday.

“The initiatives taken by the Election Commission has put an end to violence . We are satisfied and feel totally relaxed,” say a cross section of people.

The heavy polling was due to the confidence building initiatives taken by the Election Commission, they added.

Violence and clashes between the cadre of rival parties, presence of party men near polling stations under the guise of distributing booth slips, which lead to tension, discouraged voters in the past from exercising their franchise.

Missing names, non-correlation between voters list and electoral rolls, used to be the major complaints that lead to agitations in the form of road blockades.

This always placed officials on tenterhooks, diverting their attention from ensuring free and fair polls to that of maintaining law and order.

All these have become things of the past as the just concluded election turned out to be violent-free . “It is yet another step towards an ideal election. We only hope that the Election Commission continue the good work in the future too,” says S.Muruganandham, president of the Tirukkural Kalvi Maiyam.

He attributed the large turnout of voters to the direct distribution of booth slips by the Election Commission, which ensured accuracy. “Earlier the booth slips have to be collected from the temporary camps of the political parties near the polling stations. This discouraged many voters. Since the booth slips were delivered at the doorsteps, the voters were motivated and could not stay indoors on the polling day. The interest evinced by the Election Commission in ensuring free and fair polls is really appreciable,” Mr.Muruganandam adds. The Election Commission has set in motion the true process of democracy, braving several odds.

“We salute S.Y.Qureshi, Chief Election Commissioner and Praveen Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer, for setting a new trend. This created lot of confidence among the voters,” observed G.Renganathan, secretary, Tiruchi Intellectual Forum.

The Election Commission has discharged its duty in an exemplary manner, says S.Siva, district president of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), affiliated to the Communist Party of India (CPI). The good turnout, particularly of women voters, was due to the initiative of the Election Commission, Mr.Siva adds.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu