CEC SY Quraishi: The other winner of assembly elections

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Thomas Kurien

13 May, 2011

People in four states and one union territory have spoken. Their verdict will bring to power surprise winners and good performers. Amidst the flurry of election results the role of Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi shouldn't be overlooked.

THE MAJOR news from the about-to-be concluded voting is that Congress looks set to rule in three of the four states and one union territory in which assembly elections took place; that two larger-than-life politicians in diametrically opposite regions of the country Mamata Bannerjee and Jayalalithaa will be chief ministers of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively; comprehensive rout of the Left in Bengal; that Tarun Gogoi’s turnaround of Assam has been rewarded, and the Congress-led LDF has given the Left-backed UDF combine a close shave in Kerala.

But there’s someone who helped pave the way for the smooth conduct of elections in five regions – two of them densely populated and four of them politically charged – India’s Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, who has been part of the Election Commission since 2006.

Let’s see how facts stack up in favour of his performance as the CEC in the just concluded assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.

1. In all the states voters thronged voting booths – records of voting turnout were broken. Kerala saw 75 per cent turnout; and in West Bengal more than 84 per cent of voters caste their vote. The high voter turnout has to analysed within the context of increased public sensitivity to corruption with people coming onto streets to protest.

2. Elections, voting, and vote counting were peaceful — especially in West Bengal — where it was expected that the Left front will clash with Trinamool Congress on the streets.

3. The Election Commission initiated a crackdown on use of money in Tamil Nadu and other states.

4. Quraishi initiated confidence building measures involving deploying security forces, and “facilitation” measures involving giving out voter slips along with polling details, which it has been doing so since assembly elections in Bihar in 2010. As a result, despite scorching heat, people came and voted in unprecedented numbers.

5. Use of social marketing. The Election Commission set up a unit for voter education in 2010 and undertook comprehensive studies on voter behavior – especially in rural areas, where voter turnout had been low.

To overcome voter cynicism, 18-year-olds were targeted for voter education by Quraishi whose PhD thesis was on communication’s role and the role of social marketing in development of women and children.

6. The Election Commission reached out to the farthest corners of all the five regions by going down to far-flung voting booths. Quraishi also responded promptly to complaints and queries.

7. What helped the cause of free and fair elections was the belief of Quraishi in the nation-wide anti-corruption drive of the past few months. His faith in the Lokpal Bill and strong thoughts about corruption in public life gave a cohesive thrust to his duties as the Chief Election Commissioner.