The Boss Goes Political

In another couple of months someone I have been working with until last week could well become an MLA or, if he is lucky, a Minister. Though I have been griping quite a lot that mine is a boring job, it isn’t entirely true. Of late it is taking on interesting hues. I guess not many (at least those in the Government) can claim that someone sitting next to them became an MLA or is on the way to becoming one. Recently I got the chance to make such a claim.

Last week the person sitting next to me put in his papers and took the plunge into active politics. I had some sort of an inkling listening to the lengthy conversations he was having on his mobile phone since the past six months. It was the only thing he would do in the office, talk on his phone for hours together asking the person on the other side how the chances were. I thought it was only the sort of idle dream that some like to indulge in but I was surprised when he told me his ticket was confirmed. So, last week we all got together and wished him luck. Frankly speaking, to me it looks like he won’t make it. I have my own reasons which I will write about in June when the votes are counted. I have to wait until then.

To others elections might mean excitement but to us in the Government it is a big headache. We get requisitioned for election duty which means a lot of trouble. To begin with we have no idea where we would be sent. There is a lot of unnecessary tension associated with it because one small mistake and the consequences will be bad. That is one reason so many employees try to avoid election duties. We are given a lot of material that we have to safeguard for nearly three days. Then we have to spend one full day, from seven in the morning to late in the evening on voting day, being totally alert which for many government servants is totally impossible. All they look forward to is the money paid at the end of the day for performing the duty. Which, I might say, is quite a lot for a day’s work.

Sometime next month or at the end of this month, after the notification, the election trainings begin. We have to attend no less than three trainings. After that will be the actual duty. This time it promises to be interesting, the way everyone is looking forward to the elections. I have done more than half a dozen elections so it is nothing new to me. As the election scene unfolds wait for more posts on the election related issues. Sometime soon I will post about the election where I had to sleep in a room with a skeleton for company.