*Trigger Warning: COVID Death*
On 29 December, while I was heading to my hometown Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh for the yearly new year get-together, I was greeted with an unusual hustle-bustle in the district. Upon inquiring about the reason for the commotion, I was made aware that the next day, i.e. on the 30th, a rally was scheduled for Home Minister of India, Mr Amit Shah, amidst the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
In the blink of an eye, I was reminded of the havoc that COVID-19 had created in May last year, where the death count surpassed even the first wave of 2020. As India’s COVID numbers began to decline after mid-September, many other countries, including the U.S., U.K., Brazil and Russia, were battling crippling second waves. We declared victory.
It hasn’t been a year yet since. COVID-19, this time with changed hue and colour, is back to cast its spell upon us. Where major states and union territories have already headed towards lockdowns, I wonder what good these elections will do. Ironically, when schools, offices, the arts and entertainment sectors are shut, on the other hand, elections have literally become inevitable.
With the Election Commission announcing the dates from 10 February to 7 March, it makes my blood run cold, reminiscing last year’s horrific days and terrifying nights — the dreadful scenes of queues lengthening from hospitals to pharmacies to crematoriums, unavailability of oxygen cylinders, hospital beds and ambulances and without forgetting, the digging of mass graves.
The #teachers were summoned for poll duty training, packed into small rooms with four dozens of others while they received instructions on how to manage voting booths. They were then driven to polling sites in crowded trucks typically used to transport grain and cement. (7/n) pic.twitter.com/XCAWFxcgt5
— Youth Ki Awaaz (@YouthKiAwaaz) May 27, 2021
A major add on to the death toll in Uttar Pradesh were the panchayat polls in which 1,621 staff lost their lives.
The Uttar Pradeshiya Prathamik Shikshak Sangh (a teachers’ association) demanded compensation of ₹1 crore for kin of the 1,621 government school staff that succumbed to COVID-19 that they contracted while on duty during the Uttar Pradesh panchayat elections.
The elections were held on 15, 19, 26 and 29 April. The counting of votes was taken up on 2 May. Out of these 1,621 government school staff, 1,332 were teachers, 209 were shiksha mitras (assistant teachers), 25 were anudeshaks (instructors), five were block education officers, 15 were clerks and 35 were other employees.
Dinesh Chandra Sharma, president of the teachers’ association, had explicitly claimed that COVID-19 protocols were overlooked both during polling and at the time of counting ballots.
Heart-wrenching stories came from the suburb. Kalyani Agrahari, who was 27 and a teacher of Composite Vidyalaya, Oina in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, was 8 months pregnant. She had earlier submitted an application to the state election commission to relieve her from poll duty due to “critical pregnancy” but was denied.
Likewise, Sangeeta Singh, who was 33 and an assistant teacher in a composite school in Dikra village in Shravasti district, was 4 months pregnant. She was carrying twins. But she was not exempted from election duty. Her husband said that he lost his wife before their first wedding anniversary on 14 June, 2020.
This year, the Election Commission has restricted the rallies and the roadshows but only up to 15 January. What happens after that? A host of protocols and promises have been unfurled, same as last year, but in the words of Sushil Chandra, Chief Election Commissioner, “Ultimately, it is the voter that has to be safe.”
Last year as well, the commission courted controversy throughout the eight-phase West Bengal election.
Interestingly, this year two senior officials who are members of the team attached to India’s election commissioners, which visits poll-bound states for ground review, tested positive for COVID-19 on 3 January.
Many questions still remain with no substantial answer at all. Who will finally be held responsible for the deaths of the common citizens? Does any given amount of compensation equate to human life? Why do we still stand in the same situation for the third consecutive year with respect to COVID-19 and impending lockdowns?
Haven’t West Bengal elections and Kumb Mela taught us enough lessons to mend our ways? There must be someone to hold up a mirror to the serving government.