Election 2014: How security forces give up their right to vote to defend yours

Are the security forces personnel of our country not bona fide citizens of India? If the right to vote is the parameter to judge one’s citizenship, then a large number of paramilitary jawans don’t fall in the category. Are they only meant to protect our borders, provide security cover to polling stations, escort polling teams and destined to die in terrorist attacks or ambushes, like in the recent attack in the Maoist hotbed of Bastar? Hari Singh (name changed), a 40-year-old Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable posted in Delhi at present, hasn’t been able to exercise his voting right ever since he joined the service. “It’s almost 20 years since I cast my vote, as I’m registered at Chhapra in Bihar and I continue to move from one place to another on duty,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_1484177” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Still waiting for the right to vote. AP[/caption] Singh is not the only one, with lakhs of personnel from across paramilitary forces like the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal, Assam Rifles, Indian Coast Guard and CISF, unable to exercise this constitutional right every election. Till March this year armed forces couldn’t exercise their voting right either. However, after years of struggle, the Supreme Court, in an interim order, directed the Election Commission (EC) in March to allow defence personnel to vote while posted at peace stations. This order has brought soldiers at par with other citizens as far as the right to vote is concerned. “It is every citizen’s right to vote. My main effort had been to highlight the issues of the serving personnel that never come to fore,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a Rajya Sabha MP who has supported the cause throughout, said. Chandrasekhar has consistently lent his voice to the cause of giving voting rights to nearly 14 lakh soldiers from armed forces and nine lakh paramilitary personnel. He had also co-filed a petition and also fought for the ‘One Rank, One Pension’ policy that was cleared in this year’s interim budget. A soldier earlier couldn’t register himself as a voter because of an EC guideline that stipulated armed forces and paramilitary personnel needed to be on a mandatory three-year tenure posting and living with their families to be registered as general voters. It was challenged by Chandrasekhar in the apex court through a Special Leave Petition and the rule was struck down on 24 March. The court referred the issue of enabling even armed forces personnel in border areas to vote to a three-judge bench. The EC had argued that list of voters in 225 Lok Sabha constituencies had been finalised and it should not be disturbed. However, Justice RM Lodha directed that the interim order be applicable to peace areas in remaining constituencies, where the list wasn’t finalised. Some personnel wouldn’t have been able to vote because they might be in the 225 constituencies where voters’ list had been finalised. It could also be that postal ballots did not reach them. This issue has now been taken up by the Supreme Court, which will address the issue of the right to vote of forces posted in areas like J&K and northeast as well. Despite the apex court’s order extending to all paramilitary personnel, the status still remains vague, as lakhs of jawans on field duty haven’t been able to cast their votes in the on-going election. “I haven’t voted since I joined the service and I don’t even know whether we are allowed to vote. I never received any postal ballot form during past elections,” said a CRPF commando from West Bengal and is now posted in Bastar. The situation is no better with the police as well. For instance, a large number of Delhi police constables of different ranks, who were deployed for the polls in the national capital on 10 April couldn’t vote. “Many among us who have their registration in other states didn’t get postal ballot forms and many who are registered in Delhi couldn’t vote due to the tight duty schedule. There should be some mechanism through which a policeman on duty can also vote,” an inspector with the Delhi Police said on condition of anonymity. There is frustration among paramilitary personnel about the fact that although they defend the country in the most inhospitable terrain, without caring for their own lives, their right to vote is largely ignored. Some couldn’t cast their ballot during the entire time they were in the service. “It’s a paradox in our democracy, where paramilitary personnel despite being citizens of this nation are not able to cast their votes. The solution to this problem has to be looked at in a deeper manner. The EC has to come forward and evolve a blue-print for this and the postal ballot system needs to be improved,” SC Sharma, a retired Inspector General with CRPF and president of the Paramilitary Forces Retired Officers’ Association, said. The postal ballot system has proven to be inadequate and inefficient due to the delays in sending voting sheets to the security personnel and often due to delays in official procedure. The IPS Officers’ Association also raised the issue of providing voting rights to personnel from various services. The Supreme Court had directed the EC to ensure that postal ballots are dispatched well in time. In response, the commission assured the court that ballots would be dispatched 48 hours after the last date of withdrawal of candidates. They said the forces must assist them in ensuring that the ballots reach the soldiers deployed outside their home towns. “The commanding officers and directors general in army and paramilitary forces respectively have to actively ensure that ballots that reach them are sent forward to forces deployed elsewhere and those ballots are also sent back on time after being stamped,” an EC source said. “There is a severe problem in the case of postal ballots. Besides, registration process of voters or renewal of an old voter ID card is quite cumbersome,” a senior CISF official said on condition of anonymity. As many as 1.20 lakh personnel from central paramilitary forces and state police have been deployed for the on-going Lok Sabha polls to ensure that nearly 800 million voters are able to cast their votes in peace across 8 lakh polling booths. However, a small percentage of the former group, who are based in city headquarters, get to vote. “Paramilitary force personnel are Indian citizens and enjoy the same rights like all of us. If they can be trusted to maintain the country’s internal security and fight insurgencies, there is no reason why they are not enabled to vote in elections, a democratic right of every Indian citizen,” Chandrasekhar said. Chandrasekhar is optimistic of the impact of the 24 March order of the SC. “I’m sure this order will enable paramilitary forces personnel to register themselves as general voters in peace stations and the EC on its part will take initiatives to make the system more effective and helpful for men and women of the battalions of these forces to cast their votes,” he said.