My first experience as a Presiding in a certain Booth.

This is for the first time that the word ‘vote’ offers me a sense of being a perfect juxtaposition of politeness and impoliteness. I will shade light on this chapter during the course my narration.

Let it be what it may, I should not say that I arrived at my DCRC at the appointed time. On my way to DCRC I came across my colleague Mr. Ashis Paul. I found him walking towards me in his all-known happy-go-lucky style. He accompanied me onto the DCRC and then we fell apart due to our having different destination (as we were appointed to different Booths).

Then I got busy trying to find out my fellow polling-officers. To my great surprise, I found them awaiting my arrival very expectantly. My second–polling greeted me first to have a seat and get a rest for a while. He further advised me to sign at the Presiding-officers’ attendance register. I did it accordingly and when I came back I found my first-polling ready with the medical-kit. Among all this hustle-bustle, one thing annoyed us most and that was the absence of our third-polling. I approached the authority to find my third-poling but they seemed to have been busy attending other duties and directed me await a while before they could do anything for me and I could help abiding by their decision. Then again I got back to my party and was advised to stand in the line for the collection of the voting materials. I stood in the line accordingly and collected everything. Then I strolled back to the enquiry-section again with a view to finding that third-polling leaving everything at the hand of my first-polling due to some tallying that was to be done at the DCRC after collecting the required materials. But, owing to some unknown reason that third-polling was nowhere to be found. I again started begging his presence at the enquiry. I told the authority concerned to bring out the attendance-book in order to be sure if he came at all. There I found his signature at the attendance and this time I was off my mood to be polite with the concerned-officers. I knew a little how to be rough with the guys and therefore started applying that theory. Suddenly a very timid, modest teacher starts showering a volley of abuses upon them and it bore fruit. In the meantime, my first-polling came to my assistance and we insisted on announcing his name on the mike. We did the miking in vain as long as it did not get on our nerves. We then headed for the control-room to replace our third-polling. When everything was thus completed, we were told to get on a truck with our materials that was supposed to take us to a place from where we are to select our security.

To be continued..................................