Parties out ‘smart’ ECI to bribe voters

Intense scrutiny by ECI and resistance from the Opposition have prompted a few parties to now embark on mobile recharge and fuel tokens, which are the latest additions to their voter bribing mechanism. Incidentally, ECI officials on Sunday seized 700 petrol tokens and sealed a fuel station each in Erode and Thanjavur districts for colluding with political parties. 

Instead of distributing currency notes, the political parties have just handed out crabbed pieces of papers to voters. Ironically, they were illegible piece of paper only to the unknown (until seized), whereas, for the voters who take the paper (actually token or coupon) to destined fuel station, it is fuel of different denominations. 

Recently, ECI called newspaper agents and milk vendors and cautioned them not to entertain requests from political parties. “The squads and ECI officials operate mostly during busy hours, so we choose newspaper boys and milk vendors who can reach out to the people before dawn, which is the least watched time,” said a functionary of one of the leading parties requesting anonymity. 

On its part, the ECI has asked its 5,644 zonal parties to double up as flying squads, thereby taking the numbers of flying squads from two to 25 per constituency. “Everywhere, we have to work newer methodologies to track them (people bribing voters). Even on Sunday, we received a complaint and that is how we seized tokens and sealed the two fuel stations. Another three or four days, and it will be critical. The number of flying squads would be increased to 25 per constituency from May 11,” chief electoral office Rajesh Lakhoni said.

ECI, which launched an awareness video starring Prabhu Deva on Sunday, also has a 21,000-member strong team of selfless young volunteers who have been informing the commission about money distribution to voters. Even if the 25 squads per constituency have their hands full on the critical few days ahead of polls, the random smartphone wielding young informers could be a chink in netas armours.