As staff go to first rehearsals, excuses pour in

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 15

Staff posing as veterinary doctors, with medical problems like heart diseases to self or a relative, an impending or duty-day wedding and couple exemptions include the primary excuses which are being cited by staff to seek exemptions from poll duties in the district.

As the district staff attended their first pre-election rehearsal in the district today, the Election Commission has been flooded with staff citing various excuses to skip duties. As per officials, about 500 requests have so far been received by the electoral committee which has to clear exemptions.

The committee has granted exemption to about 400 polling staff in the district who had applied to be relieved from polling duties.

About 70 requests for exemptions have also already been rejected.

While across the district, over 14,000 employees have been deputed for polling duties – along with 10 to 15 per cent reserve staff – ever since the duties were allocated, the demands for exemptions continue to pour in.

Among the genuine cases which have been readily considered for exemptions are pregnant women, territorial staff from the forest department, veterinary doctors posted at hospitals, staff with spinal surgery cancer and female staff with small children. However, contrary to expectations, couple cases are not being considered as grounds for exemption even though there are over 200 couples deputed as polling staff from the Education Department alone. 

OfficialSpeak 

ADC-cum-Additional DEO Girish Dayalan, said, “There are many seeking exemptions from polling duties, but unless there is a very genuine reason, these shall not be given. While only veterinary doctors working at veterinary hospitals are exempt, there are applications from people posing as veterinary doctors, those with medical problems to their near or distant relatives as well as couple cases. All polling rehearsals are on Sundays, with one being on third, barring the election day itself. So from the word go, staff shouldn’t have any problem. We are still getting requests which shall only be granted on merit. As per Section 134 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, any breach of duty without reasonable cause by any personnel of election-related duty is a cognisable offence.”

Additional Commissioner MCJ Jalandhar Jasbir Singh Heer, who is the Chairman of the Exemption Committee for polling staff, said, “While the quantum of exemption requests is considerably lesser this year, we are granting the requests of only genuine cases with spinal injuries or surgeries, all pregnant women are exempted among staff with serious medical conditions. Couple cases only with pressing emergencies or children to take care of, are being exempted. Tentatively, so far there have been 500 requests for exemptions, of which 70 have been rejected.”

Notices to absent polling staff 

Show-cause notices shall be issued to all polling staff who have skipped duties without genuine cause. If there is no sufficient cause, they shall face action which might even be registration of an FIR.

The subsequent two polling rehearsals are on January 27 and February 3.