Explained: The curious case of ‘Mr Ballot Box’ on board flights and its link to Presidential polls

If one was flying yesterday within the country, there are chances that one of your fellow passengers on board was ‘Mr Ballot Box’.

This is not a quirky name of a person, but an actual ballot box that was transported for the upcoming Presidential elections on 18 July.

A senior Election Commission (EC) official was quoted as saying that several of these ballot boxes, accompanied by state-level election officers, were sent to 14 states and Union territories on Tuesday. The first flight, the one to Chandigarh, departed at 5.10 pm Tuesday.

We take a closer look at this fascinating journey of ballot boxes during the presidential elections — a practice that been carried out for the past 53 years.

A flight fit for ‘Mr Ballot Box’

According to EC officials, a separate air ticket is booked in the name of ‘Mr Ballot Box’ — it’s always ‘Mr’, never ‘Ms’. The seat, while in economy class, has been booked for the front row, which usually has more leg space.

The seat besides Mr Ballot Box is for the assistant returning officers (ARO) and it travels under the personal supervision of the officer.

This is a norm practised since 1969 when the Commission got special permission from the civil aviation department to enable the ballot boxes and other election materials to travel as passengers.

Also read: Penning history: The special markers to be used for Presidential polls

The Print reports that in presidential elections prior to this year’s the ballot box would travel to other states as hand baggage, but this year, it got a seat for itself.

The Election Commission said, “Ballot Box has a prominent role in the process of presidential elections — being no ordinary box, as it is to hold the fate of the highest office of the largest democracy on the planet. Thus, the mandated procedure specifies special caution during the transportation, storage, and use of these boxes.”

What happens to Mr Ballot Box’ after the flight

After ‘Mr Ballot Box’, which is carried in a wooden box, reaches its destination, stored in previously sanitised and properly sealed strong rooms under strict videography in each state and Union Territory.

Once the poll is over, the sealed ‘Mr Ballot Box’ and other election material is transported back to the Office of Returning Officer Rajya Sabha Secretariat by the next available flight.

The boxes and other documents are carried personally inside the aircraft cabins — never out of sight of accompanying officers.

Once the ballot boxes land in Delhi after the Presidential polls, they become the responsibility of Parliament security and the Delhi Police.

Presidential polls around the corner

India’s vote for the 16th President of India will take place on 18 July and the two main contenders in the race to Rashtrapati Bhavan are Droupadi Murmu, fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and Yashwant Sinha from the Opposition.

The counting of votes will take place on 21 July, ahead of the end of President Ram Nath Kovind’s term on 24 July.

Droupadi Murmu is the frontrunner in the race and many parties have already extended their support to her, making her win almost guaranteed. On Tuesday, the Shiv Sena also voiced its support for Murmu.

Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, “Supporting Droupadi Murmu does not mean supporting BJP.”

Other opposition parties such as the Telugu Desam Party, the Biju Janata Dal, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the YSR Congress have also announced their support to Murmu.

With inputs from agencies

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