TURA: After the din of the election campaign, a lull prevailed on Monday before the storm. If the early morning rain in Tura was an omen, the results could either be a deluge or a tsunami.
But on the eve of the big day, the election machinery was thrown into a tizzy after complaints of voter bribery flew thick and fast from different corners.
Whether genuine or with mischief intent, the Flying Squad Teams (FST) of the Election Department are left with no option other than to probe every complaint they come across.
“Whenever we receive complaints we immediately dispatch our FST teams to the site,” said District Election Officer Ram Singh under whose jurisdiction there are 11 Assembly segments, the highest number of constituencies in the Garo Hills.
Complaints of bribery have been made from several constituencies, including Rangsakona, but nothing substantial was found by the FST teams.
On Sunday evening, reports of youths assembling near the Tura civil hospital on the request of a candidate was relayed to the FST teams who rushed to the site only to find the place abandoned.
To keep a check on bribery, all illegal liquor dens were raided and FST teams with assistance from security forces were deployed on various roads to check any movement of money and liquor.
Critics, however, are not buying the story given past election experiences. “The money part will be played at the village level away from the eyes of authorities and this will be done not just by one party or candidate but everyone who has a stake in this election,” said some of the voters.
There are 13,179 new voters in West Garo Hills and Phulbari has the highest number of voters at 1,671. This election has seen a few firsts. Technology became a tool to be used for wooing voters.
Campaigning for the February 27 polls has had its highs and lows.
For the first time, there has been violence of a scale never seen before. The murder of a candidate followed by the killing of a militant chief at the hands of security forces has marked the electoral narrative of Garo Hills.
Two days before the polling, a constable of the Railway Special Police Force shot a senior officer in Mawkyrwat after he was denied leave, our reporter adds.
Be it the curious onlooker or the sceptic or even the devout, everyone is keeping fingers crossed.
