By: Rakesh Kumar Sharma

Election duty of government servants, targeting teachers, is back once again. Not liked by the teachers, manipulations will soon start to escape from it. This makes the people at the civil magistrate office more privileged, to oblige the known and show the power to others.

The seniority-based protocol is thrown into the dustbin and many juniors in the administration dictate the worst affected community. A long queue for receiving and submitting different packets of election material at various places brings out the mismanagement. After the completion of election duty, queuing for relieving orders from the SDM clerk is a humiliating experience.

There are no arrangements for stay in the field and they are left at the mercy of people. In some areas, people on duty who belong to lower castes, have to face socio-psychological problems too.

I have gone through such experiences several times. Helpless people are terrorised in the name of Constitutional duty. These issues need to be addressed properly by the state election commission to avoid any negative impact on the motivation level of people performing this sensitive duty.