The Rs 6.09 Crores asset question Beating the system
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 18, 2012 -

The changes are visible.

No loud posters and banners.

No loud speakers in the night.

No obscene public feasting and no vulgar display of wealth and clout at the time of flag hoisting functions.

Below the belt blows or punches against the rivals too have been muted to a large extent and for once it is a welcome sight to see political leaders and the wannabes, read candidates, beating a hasty retreat with tails between their legs in the face of the stringent strictures issued by the Election Commission of India.

That the Election Commission meant business became somewhat clear when its Chairman himself flew down to Imphal, obviously with a one point agenda-replace the State DGP.

This was preceded by the standing instructions issued to do away with the nonsensical posting/appointment of Look After SPs in the key districts of Imphal East and Churachandpur.

The Media Certification and Coordination Committee put up at the State level as well as at the district level is another indicator of how serious the ECI is to check the expenditure of all candidates, which has been put at Rs 8 lakhs at the upper limit.

The hotlines opened for the public to report any acts of commission or omission on the part of the candidates to the Election Observers is another clear signal that no nonsense would be tolerated.

In one single act, the ECI has made people's participation in the election more than just a question of choosing and casting their votes in favour of their candidates but also as some sort of a watch dog and who better than the very set of people who will be most impacted by the conduct and outcome of the elections ? The bazar characteristics of all the elections in the past have already taken a heavy toll and the measures of the ECI are long overdue, but better late than never, to borrow a line made popular by the traffic police.

And so it goes that while the State Election Office seems intent on following the guidelines of the Election Commission of India to their best ability, comes the report that Chief Minister O Ibobi has assets worth only Rs 6.

09 lakhs, making him the poorest Chief Minister of the five States going to polls.

A perfect sample or example of how to beat the system and far from amusing the people and more particularly the office of the Chief Election Office, this should be more than enough signal that systems can be beaten with impunity and with ‘in your face’ non-chalance, making things even more unpalatable.

The biggest challenge that lies before the Election office then is how to check these masters of guile in their attempt to beat the system.

And it goes without saying that trying to beat the system will require money and clout and influence and by extension this means, defeating the very idea and purpose of keeping a strict tab on the expenditures of the candidates.

The Rs 6.

09 assets declaration should be an eye opener to the people helming the election office.

As noted earlier, the stationing of IT officials at airports to monitor the flow of cash in connection with the election is another noteworthy step.

However what is disturbing is to see the stoic silence maintained over the seizure of Rs 60 lakhs from Delhi airport, ostensibly in connection with the election here.

Why is the ECI maintaining a stoic silence on this point ? Contrast this with Uttar Pradesh where the report of the seizure of Rs 28.

53 Crores from different sources has already been made public and the gut feeling is not very comfortable.

Is the State Election Office up to the task set by the ECI is a question worth raising.