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Voter Awareness Campaign

Voter Awareness Campaign to sensitize voters and candidates 

Background 

After decentralization of power, the Panchayats, in all it’s three stages plays a crucial role in the over all socio-economic development of people as well as the nation. Over the years lots of Function, Fund and Functionaries has been delegated to the panchayats. In Odisha where most of people live in rural areas, local bodies have gained significant importance in the decentralization process as people have the authority to make their development projects. Crores of money are pumped into the panchayats with enormous power for infrastructure and livelihood development of people.   However, rampant corruption is seen in the local bodies due to ignorance of common people and the lack of honest and effective elected representatives to lead the development work. The elections are dominated by money and muscle power. Hence, the much desired overall development through panchayats is yet be realized. Keeping this in view, Odisha Shramajeebi Manch (OSM) decided to launch a campaign called ” Nirbachan Sachetan and Sankalpa Abhiyan” in its working areas.

 Objectives of campaign: 

  • To creating awareness among the people/public/voter regarding the importance of the three tier local electoral system
  • To enhance people’s participation in the voting system
  • To create awareness to select effective people centric leaders
  • To ensure smooth implementation/execution of our planned activities
  • To get pre-election commitment from contesting candidates 

Activities carried out during the campaign: After long deliberation among the members of OSM, it’s member organizations and people from the grass roots level, it was decided to carry out following activities during the campaign.

  1. Printing of cloth banners:There will be cloth banner which will mention the importance of Panchayat elections. The banner will also have section where it will be written that people promise to elect honest and effective candidates. It will be displayed during village meetings and at local haats and people will be requested to sign on the banners.
  2. Signature on Declaration Paper:The need was felt to make the candidates answerable and accountable to the voters before being elected. Therefore, it was decided to get written commitments (declaration paper) from the candidates, where the candidates will write down in a paper to perform certain things after they win the elections. Sample declaration paper was circulated among our villagers for the same.
  3. Khola Manch:An open platform will be organized where candidates will share their views and road map for development of their constituencies. The voters will get a chance to interact directly with the candidates.
  4. Orientation for Self Help Group (SHG) and Youth Clubs:During the village meeting it was decided to involve the community based organizations like the SHGs and youth clubs of the villages to spread the importance of the Panchayati Raj system and for free and fair elections.
  5. Street Play:Street Plays have a crucial role in disseminating information to the larger public through the means of entertainment. So it was decided to perform street plays regularly in crowded places. The script and dialogues of the play was decided keeping in mind the local context and our campaign objectives.

Highlights of the action: 

  • The campaign was conducted in 13 districts of Odisha covering 1914 villages of 40 blocks
  • The campaign reached out to 54623 people through village meetings
  • A total of 2444 citizens signed on cloth banners from 105 villages
  • 4 street plays were performed in Koraput districts where more than 700 people witnessed and got the message of our campaign objectives
  • 3725 number of candidates contesting in various posts of the Panchayati Raj Institutions signed the “Declaration Paper” from villagers from approximately 444 villages
  • 13 Khola Manch was organized in 13 blocks during the Padyatra campaign where 89 candidates shared their views and manifestos
  • Approximately 1500 leaflets were distributed and 146 wall writing were written to spread the voter and candidate’s awareness.  

Outcome of the action: 

Panchayat elections are the most sensitive elections in a state. It becomes more so in remote left wing extremism affected areas. In spite of many hurdles,  the campaign was a success. The process of voter awareness through the campaign has certainly helped even if in a small way to strengthen local governance. Voters were able to get the message on the need of good governance at panchayat level through visual and verbal methods during street plays and village meetings. It helped in informed voting. The elected candidates were made accountable even prior to the elections. OSM & local member organization were able to build and extend relationship with other organizations that was part of the campaign. The essence of true democracy was realized when people directly questioned their candidates. Candidates were able to internalize responsibility before & after election. Apart from that, lots of common masses got to know about the roles & responsibility of PRI members as well as theirs. In the process of the campaign, a relationship was also built with the elected PRIs and other candidates who lost out in the elections.

Follow up action:  

Building long term friendly relationship with elected representatives for smooth and effective functioning of Panchayats raj process is one of our goal. So after the elections we continue to engage with the elected representatives to meet the aspirations of the people. In this process we have conducted various interface meetings with elected representatives and our Sangathan members in districts like Kandhamal and Nayagarh. It was realized that they also need guidance and support from local organizations to perform better. The interface meetings with elected representatives will continue in all parts of our working areas. 

Way Forward:  

  • Formation of District, Block, Gram Panchayat (GP) and Village Level Committees in our existing working areas, wherever committees are yet to be formed
  • Formation of District, Block and GP committees in new intervention districts
  • Training & Capacity Building of all OSM, District and Block Level executive committee members on sangathan functioning, financial policy and ownership of sangathan
  • Conduct of minimum two times meeting of General Body and Executive Body of OSM
  • Ensuring financial sustainability of sangathan through collection of annual membership. By end 2017, we plan to collect membership from 121950 Households (HH)
  • Regular follow up to ensure that membership target is achieved
  • Training Block Committee members on financial norms to give them maximum responsibility where we can pay Jansathis Honorarium in selected blocks
  • Internal audit on functions and financial matters of district level organizations
  • Internal and external exposure of district level committee members
  • Increasing Badge registration to cover all maximum HH in our working villages
  • Thematic area and issue wise demonstration at Block, District and State level whenever required
  • One day state level Bidhan Sabha Gherao for right to safe drinking water and other burning issues
  • OSM to regularly do policy advocacy with policy administrators, policy makers, politicians, media personnel on thematic areas and it’s working
  • OSM to coordinate with Individual activists and likeminded organizations at district as well as state level to carry forward the policy advocacy work on right to work, food and safe drinking water
  • Ensuring transparency and accountability of sangathan’s functioning and financial matters through sharing details of our activities and expenditure to all stakeholders
  • Sangathan Operational Mechanism to be tried in 8 selected Blocks
  • Selected Jansathis to be paid from membership collected in selected Blocks.  

Case Study 

Villagers brought Drinking Water through Sangathan Intervention:

The Podapadar village is 2 km away from Hemgir Block of Sundargarh district.  The Sangram Samiti, the member organization of OSM has been working there from the very beginning.  To carry forward the development work the leading women of the village formed a unit of the Sangram Samiti in the village. Like many other tribal villages of Sundaragrh, Podapadar suffered severely from the unavailability of safe drinking water. The water which was available from two tube wells were not suitable for drinking. The water from the tube wells was full of mud and was yellow in colour. The villagers use to filter the water through cloths before drinking. The issue was brought to the light of local sangathan worker Kalyani Didi during the village meeting.

It was decided during the meeting that a representatives of village committee would meet the local sarpanch and the BDO of Hemgir block on 28th October 2015 and request them to redress their problem. In the application by the villagers written on the sangathan letterpad, the villagers demanded to new tube well in the village. 2 months passed but no action was initiated by the Government nor did the villagers got any assurance from government officials. The villages committee again met the administration on 5th January 2016 and 27th January 2016 and reiterated the demand but again there was no response from government officials. After not getting any answer, the villagers decided to demonstrate in front of the GP on 9th Feb 2016.  During the demonstration villagers forced the Panchayat Executive Officer to give written assurance to solve the drinking water problem by 10th Feb 2016. The PEO came next day and put some bleaching power in the tub well but the exercise was futile. The village Committee leader Smt. Surabati Kishan decided to take help of RTI.

On 18th April 2016, Smt. Surabati Kishan asked 3 questions in RTI.

  1. What are the steps taken by GP to provide drinking water to Podapadar village?
  2. By which date the problem will be solved?
  3. And finally when will GP take action as per the written commitment during GP Gherao?

Immediately after getting the RTI query, the PEO arranged water supply through tanker  from 6th May onwards. Then new tube well was installed subsequently. The story does not end here, later on GP initiated plan to ensure supply water. The project is under construction. The villagers are now regularly contributing to the sangathan work. They are active supporters of the organization and also contribute financially to the sangathan. Smt Surubati Kishan has set an example for the women of the local area.