58% officers fail to clear ECI test for election duty
BHOPAL: If two candidates file nomination papers on behalf of a political party, who will be the official nominee? When do candidates forfeit their security deposit? If a person is convicted for a jail term of three years by a lower court and gets bail from the high court, are they eligible to contest elections?
Fifty-eight per cent of the people who were asked such questions in a test conducted by Madhya Pradesh’s chief electoral officer failed to answer them correctly, according to an official familiar with the developments.
The people who wrote the test -- conducted for the first time by the Election Commission (EC) of India on August 18 -- were officers of the rank of additional district magistrates, sub-divisional magistrates and revenue officers in the MP government. They are all meant to be assigned the key duties of returning officers and assistant returning officers in the assembly polls later this year.
“Every officer on duty must know what the rules and regulations are so that election is error free and nobody is able to challenge the results in the court,” said MP’S chief electoral officer VL Kantha Rao. “In all, 561 officers appeared in the test after getting a training in Bhopal about to rules and regulations that need to be followed in conduct of the election. Only 238 cleared the test,” Rao said. The officer said the qualifying mark for the test was 70%. Instead of getting a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’, those who failed to get 70% got were declared ‘not up to the mark’. They will have to appear again, and if they don’t get through on the second attempt, will be debarred from discharging any election duties this year. The electoral officer will then write to the state government to take action against them.
Some of the officers appearing for the test were not happy.
“We are already overburdened with work related to revenue collection and law and order. Instead of a test, they should give us a user guide to conduct an error free election,” said a revenue officer who asked not to be named.
In all, 561 officers appeared in the test ...Only 238 cleared it. VL KANTHA RAO , Madhya Pradesh’s chief electoral officer