THE MAN WHO RESHAPED ELECTIONS

THE Election Commission's 75 years can appropriately be classified as the commission before T N Seshan and after Seshan. It is rarely that one individual singlehandedly influences the stature and credibility of an institution of national importance the way Seshan was able to do in the Election Commission. Monday is the sixth anniversary of the passing of the widely admired Chief Election Commissioner. As someone privileged to have worked in the commission's secretariat during that period, my attempt is to briefly recollect the experience of those historic six years.

- K F WILFRED

V S Rama Devi, who was the acting CEC, was believed to be due for regular appointment to the office when news spread about the arrival of Seshan, who was then serving as a member of the Planning Commission. He assumed charge as the 10th CEC just before noon on December 12, 1990. Within about 10 minutes of assuming charge, he addressed the officials of the commission's secretariat. He reminded everyone about the role of the EC and how the world stood amazed at the Indian elections, and unequivocally conveyed that the commission would not let the nation down.

The first address was like a storm, and everyone in the hall instantly knew that there was a hard taskmaster at the helm. Seshan continued the practice of addressing officials at regular intervals. He was a great orator with command over multiple languages and a voice that reflected authority.

The malpractice of booth capturing was at its peak in some northern states around the time Seshan took over. By the end of his tenure, the menace was fading. The deployment of central police forces for ensuring voters can vote without fear and strengthening of the then-docile election observer system were two factors that helped eradicate several malpractices at the field level.