SHILLONG: Election after election after election, but Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Kharkongor enjoys the festival of democracy. And he is busy with yet another election, his seventh.
After he assumed office in March 2016, Kharkongor conducted a by-poll in May following the sudden demise of Tura MP PA Sangma. Two years later was the Assembly elections followed by four by-elections. The by-election in Williamnagar in April 2018 was following the killing of NCP candidate Jonathone Sangma days before the 2018 Assembly polls.
Another by-election was held in Ampati in May last year after Mukul Sangma vacated the seat for her daughter and retained Songsak after winning both the seats.
This followed twin by-polls in July for Ranikor after the Congress MLA Martin Danggo resigned to unsuccessfully contest on NPP ticket and South Tura after NPP MLA Agatha Sangma quit the post to pave way for his brother and Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to contest as he chose to remain in state politics.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Kharkongor said his experience in the past as district election officer in Jowai, sub-divisional officer in Mairang during the Assembly polls and as returning officer in Tura for Lok Sabha polls had helped him.
He had also conducted the GHADC polls when he was the deputy commissioner.
Kharkongor has launched a series of special initiatives to attract voters to the polling stations.
He said for the first time, Braille ballot paper will be used in all polling stations. “There will be priority voting for the disabled and they will have separate queue”, the official said.
Another new initiative is the poll volunteers who will help voters.
To create interest in the polls, various innovative awareness campaigns have been launched by the Election Department, especially focusing on the youths.
He hopes that the initiatives will bring more voters to the polling stations.
As the countdown begins for the polls, Kharkongor’s appeal is “not voting is not a protest but a surrender and hence step out and vote and be a part of democratic process. If you do not vote, there is no reason for you to complain and no voter should be left behind.”
