The mega task on hand for the Chief Electoral Officer is to ensure that the final voters’ list of the State is ready before March 10. Prior to that the OCEO has to make a presentation to Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami during his visit to Bangalore on March 3 and 4 that the voters’ list is in accordance with the delimitation commission’s recommendations.

Towards this end the OCEO is in constant touch with the deputy commissioners of districts not by phone or papers but only through emails.

A soft copy of the format to carry out the delimitation has been circulated to all the DCs through email. The DCs have been filing the inputs through e-mail. According to a DC, “As there is zero paper work, the work on hand is progressing very fast”.

CEO Ramaseshan had worked with SEBI when the infamous Harshad Mehta scam rocked the stock market in 90’s. So, he knows how to utilise computer to analyse complicated data and present it in easy format. The DCs are not finding it tough to match his pace because the format developed by the OCEO is simple to understand. Communication between the OCEO and DCs are only through emails.

None of the DCs are forthcoming when it comes to sharing information regarding the on going delimitation process with the media because the issue is sensitive and the delimitation has become a bitter pill to swallow for many politicians. The DCs do not want to give any information to the media but are reporting only to the CEO.

Role model
Mandya district has become the role model for other districts for completing the delimitation process. The OCEO selected Mandya to implement the delimitation on a pilot basis as Mandya is the most complicated district in terms of delimitation - two assembly constituencies of the nine have been deleted while redrawing the boundary.
“In a city like Bangalore, it is easy to regroup polling booths because of the ward system. But in villages, hobli is taken as a unit and the process is difficult. In just three days, the delimitation process was completed in Mandya. That has given us confidence that the process can be replicated in other districts”, an officer said.

Sources said Ramsheshan may remain in the office till March 10, so that he can complete the process of publishing final voters’ list and delimiting assembly constituencies. “Even if an order is issued appointing a new CEO, he or she may be asked to take over only after March 10,” sources added.