The capacity of man to ignore everything but its own wishes is astounding. It is more at the time of election. As a part of poll campaign, there were series of debates, meetings, discussions about AFSPA, territorial integrity, good governance and many other issues bisecting the state. The voters got an overload dose of speeches from international, national to domestic kitchen problems. Media throws up in their front pages, speeches of leaders and candidates in election meetings. Today, we have got a reverberated echoes of the claims of these leaders about problems in our society. But at the end these tall promises do not penetrate deeply enough into our consciousness through our ear to make a change. And as done in the previous elections, electorates cast their votes without looking back at the issues of the state but to pay back the favours done to them by their favourite candidates.

The ongoing 9th Assembly election is an election sans violence. The CEO of the state must have a smile as this election is by far the more peaceful election compared with elections of the past. The voters turn out in the first and second phase is very high in almost all the constituencies.

But the pertinent question which we want to put here is: how far the people of our State is conscious enough to take active role in the democratic process that can change the standard of living in our society? Do the voters come out to the polling booths forcibly by the diktats of some unseen hands or do the voters turn out to the polling booths out of a sense of obligation or compulsion of what they have received in cash or kind just before the election from the candidates?

In the hills, we have heard that voters are forced to come out all and sundry by the barrel of the guns and cast their votes to the candidates of their choice.

In the valley the situation has slight difference. Let me take an example, the case of an Assembly Constituency. The sitting MLA of the 8th Assembly becomes a Cabinet Minister. He is fighting this election as a Minister. For the last five years nothing worth mentioning is done for the development of the constituency. Local Area Development Fund is being used for funding the local women groups of each village exclusively belonging to him or his party. His rival candidates also take his example and grouped their voters under the banner of NGOs, Mahila forums. These candidates are shepherding the voters for the last four years. After a series of community feast on party line for months and just before two or three days of the election each voters have got a minimum of rupees 500 note from their candidates on the promise of pushing the electric button that is put in their names. The workers of each candidate in each polling station have a close watch on the activities of their voters. Then the voters have no escape route but to come out to the polling whether it is rain, cloud or sun.

Then how far is it justified to use Sharmila, AFSPA and integrity of the state as the platform for winning election? Though the election days are peaceful in Thoubal, Imphal East, Imphal West and Bishnupur districts on the 8th and 14th of this month, a string of election related violence was seen in the days before the election. A different trend has come into play in the entire constituencies of the valley also in the 9th Assembly Election, that is, the open use of bullies by the candidates in their favour.

It is a fact of life that physically stronger will always attempt to overpower the weaker and here comes the importance of these bullies even the fight is not with sword but with ballots.

Bullies are found in plenty in time of election. They can be divided into two; one having intellect (though misuse) and the other, muscle power (or fire power).

Those who got intellect and can carry at least half a dozen listeners come out to the streets, hotels, at every platform where people converged. They will talk about everything under the sun. They will say, this party will get absolute majority, that party will safeguard the territorial boundary, their party will take part in the formation of the next Government, their party will repeal the AFSPA if elected to power, so and so.

These bullies are very adroit and always stick to the safe side by using soft words. These intellect bullies will surely carry you to blackmail your emotion through their oratory skills. They are common people found everywhere following every candidates.

The bullies of the second kind is rather tough and hard to deal with. They seem to be die-hard, violent but dedicated workers of their candidates. They will show their teeth to those who speak against their candidates. They will see that their area of operation is not encroached upon by the workers of rival candidates in the matter of holding rallies and arranging public meeting. When the sun sets and darkness prevail, they begin their activity. They will come out in groups, threaten other workers, fire one or two shots in the air, pull down flags and ransack the polling office of other candidates.

In the hill constituencies, voting by one person representing the whole of the villagers cast the vote under the pressure of the underground groups. It is one age old practice since the election by ballot has begun from 1950. Though this method or trend is not applicable at present in the valley, the new development of the presence of the big bullies is not a good sign. It is fear that election in the future may be another Bihar type where private armies prevail upon the voters in favour of their candidates.

For the Election Commission, this election may be a success without any hiccup, for the politicians who are in the race for power it may be 'Election', but for the people of Manipur this election is actually the beginning of 'ill-action'.