In Bengal, ECI’s absurd theatre over motorbikes

The Bengal polls are turning into a test for an organisation that had deservedly garnered a stellar reputation the world over

Roughly one in three households in West Bengal owns a motorcycle, according to the National Family Health Survey. There are tens of thousands of bike taxis registered in the greater Kolkata region alone. Yet, if the Election Commission of India (ECI) has its way, every genuine commuter, consumer, and delivery person — and their pillion riders — will be off the roads for 12 hours between 6pm and 6am, two days before every phase of polling in the state. The bizarre order apparently emanates from Bengal’s culture of bike rallies that are often used as tools to project political dominance before voting day. In a state where political rallies have often descended into clashes, holding free and fair polls is rightly on top of ECI’s mind. But poll officials should not conflate ensuring disciplined campaigning with downright harassment of ordinary citizens. Surely the largest deployment of paramilitary officers — many times more than those stationed in strife-hit Manipur — in the state should be enough to stave off violence?

The bizarre order apparently emanates from Bengal’s culture of bike rallies that are often used as tools to project political dominance before voting day. (ANI)

This newspaper has commented before on how these Bengal polls are turning into a test for an organisation that had deservedly garnered a stellar reputation the world over. From mass deletions of existing voters under a controversial logical discrepancy category to non-functioning tribunals to faulty translation software and large-scale transfer of officers — more than in all other states combined 20 times over — the run-up to the polls has been littered with controversy. Now, with the latest order on motorcycles, this sorry spectacle threatens to tip into the realm of the absurd. The custodian of the world’s largest democracy should reconsider.