Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Well done, ECI!' that was published in Newsband

Well done, ECI!

Elections have at last come to an end. The Election Commission of India (ECI) did a great job. It managed to control properly the frenzied protests and rallies by the key political players. Overall, the relatively higher turnouts in all the phases of the 2014 general election were comforting, though there were still pockets of low voter-response. The ECI did take action for violations of the ‘Model Code of Conduct’ wherever it was necessary.

This election will stand out for some of its unique features — the ‘None of the Above (NOTA)’ option being incorporated in the Electronic Voting Machines, candidates asked to fill in all columns in their affidavits, and the Railways doing a commendable job in moving polling materials and security personnel in time across the country. Everything was done in a democratic manner.

T N Shesan, the Election Commissioner of the past, will always be remembered as real EC of India who had set an example. He knew his job very well and had worked hard to get best result out of political mess. No other person can match him. He inspired the current EC and will ever remain a role model for future Election Commissioners to come.

The Election Commission has undoubtedly done a fantastic job in pulling out the election in such a versatile manner in one of the largest democracy in the world. In spite of the violence being reported across the country, the turn over of the polls and completion of the process is a victory of democracy and all credit goes to the EC. They have done splendid job in pulling out the polling to completion.

It is great that world’s most complex and most laborious election was concluded successfully; it is a great relief that it was relatively peaceful and the turnout was a pleasant surprise.

Compared against the backdrop of earlier elections when booths were captured, blocks of fake votes stuffed, election officers threatened and man-handled, the election process is definitely getting better and better. The entire process this time from the initial run-up to the actual polling has been fantastic. The few incidents of violence are a small blot but the EC handled the situation with a lot of dignity, firmness and impartiality. Over 800 millions going to the polls with awareness of the various contenders and possibly of what a vote means for tomorrow, the Nation deserves a big applause. The various parties, too, conducted themselves with restraint and caution, despite the tremendous amount of heat all around. Hail, India!

The herculean task of conducting Parliament and Assembly (in parts) Elections with perfect unison from macro to micro levels, shows to the World the meaning and essence of true Democratic system and how it is nurtured with aplomb. One sincerely hopes to see the same amount of commitment by the leaders elected through this process; we wonder how many of them really realize this fact. They should be matching in their obligations and duties; knowing the cost of money spent by the Exchequer for each one of them, on the floor of their respective Houses. Let’s hope to see some very good governance after a decade of sedative and lethargic manipulative misgovernance, run by highly corrupt, arrogant and bloated sycophants. Let’s hope for good days in the coming weeks.

Overall, the ECI deserves to be congratulated for doing an excellent job.