General Elections are held after every five years in our country. Every time the elections are held our school building is taken over and converted into an election booth. I am yet too small to be a voter myself but at the time of elections I become curious and visit my school and watch the scene there.
Early in the morning policemen accompanied by the officials who conduct elections, reach the school. They bring big boxes with them. They occupy the big hall of our school. All the doors and windows are closed, only two doors are left open. On the door they fix up a card with the word ‘Entracne’ written on it. Bars are fixed on both sides of this door and thus a narrow pathway is made through which only one man can pass at a time.
Other persons now arrive. They belong to different parties contesting the elections. They introduce themselves to the Presiding Officer. He seats them in a row inside in hall, near the door. They sit inside as watch dogs on behalf of their respective candidates to see that only bonafide voters enter the hall. All these persons belong to our locality and recognise most of the voters. Soon the voters come. They form a queue before the entrance. They enter the hall one by one, take their ballot paper from the officials, are marked on the first finger with black ink; and go behind the curtains to cast votes. After making mark against the candidate name, they want to elect, they fold the paper and put it into the box. Then they go out of the other door.
The crowd of voters, meanwhile, keeps swelling and causes a lot of trouble to the officials who cannot entertain them all at one time. Old, sick, handicapped persons are brought by their relatives. The polling booth, with the eager crowds and enthusiastic volunteers gives the look of a fair. And a fair it is…a national fair which comes after every five years.
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