Click to play videoUttar Pradesh: The Election Commission is playing a larger than life role in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2007.
This is clear in a place like Aligarh where a record 19 candidates with criminal backgrounds are in the poll fray. Trailing each candidate is a videographer deputed by the Election Commission and every day, the Returning Officer gets a handful of tapes to peruse.
The Election Commission has placed watchdogs all over Aligarh - men who could easily be mistaken for news cameramen, covering campaigns, or men who merge with the sea of saffron and be mistaken for enthusiastic party workers.
With 19 candidates with criminal antecedents in the fray from Aligarh alone and the country's law makers hemming and hawing on whether or not to ban people with criminal records from contesting, the EC seems to have hit upon a stop gap solution.
Each of the 19 candidates are being trailed by an EC appointed videographer and their brief is to watch out for candidates trying to bribe the voter by distributing cash or even sarees.
But trying to bell the lion in its den is risky business.
Says an EC cameraman, Neeraj, "The EC takes care of us and have provided two policemen to protect me."
And come polling day these videographers will train their lenses on all the goings-on.
The Election Commission has been painted as the villain of the piece by most political parties. Now with the EC's mobile CCTV camera trailing these candidates 24/7, it's only understandable that the campaign staff are complaining that campaigning is just not the same anymore.
(With inputs from P K Das in Aligarh)
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