Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-02-10
indian Vote
lIliterute Millions
Surprise World
By HUGH Humphrey

Surprise World
By Hugh Humphrey
The worlds greatest army Of voters
almost 100 million men and women
will wind up o four-uionth march
to the polling places Of India this
week. Stimulated by the FIRST free
ballot Ii $500 years Of recorded his
tory, more than one-fourth the popu3
lation Of Asia's vast subcontinent has
had taste Of politics democratic
style.
It has been fantastic business.
Under the Indian constitution Of 1947.
everybody got in the act with only
the mentally unSound and minors
under 81 left.put. There was no bar
rier to race, sex, religion or political
creedS. uliteracy which deprives
many Of suffrage In some of these
United StateS-WaS no handicap in
India, where IS per cent of the people
fall In that bracket. Even q criminal
record wasn't considered In voting
qualifications.
When the land OF the rajahs be.
came an independent nation in 1916,
It's first parliament was selected by q
special legislative council already OPP
Grating under the British colonial
system. The constitution, ratified q
year later, provided for q general
election every five years and, ready
or not, the Indians have had it.
10000 condidotes
Only the patience and fatalism Of
an Oriental nation could have sur
yiyed the headaches. With total
of lit million qualified voters more
than half actually cast their ballots
virtually all were completely ignorant
Of usual election procedures. Since
few could read, each party-there
were 10 In the race with q total Of
10000 candidates designated by
symbols familiar to the Indians. The
Congress Party was represented by q
picture of two yolked bullocks, the
Communists by a sheaf Of wheat and
q sickle, the Socialists by q banyan
tree.
Ballots were blank sheets OF paper.
They contained no printing because
most people couldn't read or write.
That meant q separate ballot box
for each party involved in the po-
litical battle. A voter simply spotted
the symbol Of his candidate and
dropped his blank ballot In the slot.
Last October, thousands Of election
officials gathered up ballot boxes and
other paraphernalia and took off
from the cities for the hills and
jungles. ~
Mountain and Jungle Words u
Long before voting started In the
more modern cities, mountain tribess
men and jungle dwellers had cast
their first ballots. The big candidates
for national offices depended on local
ward captains to indoctrinate their
constituents in the mysteries OF voting
for the peoples choice"
After collecting ballots In pafE
sticular area. polling officials packed
I'D and moved into the next commute
nifty. They struggled through swampS.
crossed deserts. waded rivers ana
ploged through jungles. is
III Slight disputes with tigers over
the right-of-way were run-of -thes
min hazards to the caravans. With
out turning q hair, one election team
stoically repeated election day for
a village after white ants got into
the ballot boxes and destroyed the
contents.
Confusion was king for q day
! every day. Murderous Dacoits at
tackled a police escort in one state
and attempted to seize the ballot
boxes, thinking they were treasure
chests. The party symbols, intended
to be the new voters little helper.
performed like Frankenstien mon
ster In many cases. Devout Hindus.
to whom the bulls Of Shiva are
sacred, went like mad for the Con-
gress Party sign Of yoked bullocks,
regardless of their original party
pledge. An old woman. confronted
by the ballot boxes Of IL candidates.
calmly tore her ballot into q dozen
pieces and put q scrap In each.
She liked the entire lot. 50
No Registration Lists
The Indians rugged UP novel plan
to prevent ballot-box stufing. There
were no registration lists. but few, i
any. voted more than once. Al
each voter entered the polling BOTH
his hand was stamped with indelible
Ink which remained visible for about
o week. BY then the polls had
closed.
Despite the mistakes and the high
rate Of illiteracy. Indian and foreign
observers were surprised by the sharp
political acumen of these novices In
q strange field. One election oficial
who had handled the job In an ex-
tremely remote area, commented that
the hill people had selected candi.
dates which he, himself, approved.
High Indian leaders have expressed
the opinion that q majority Of the
voterS-women outnumbered men, In
cidentally-haye proven themselves
politically adult" They knew what
they wanted.
The indian government has spent
more than $40 million to bring this
first touch Of democracy to its peo-
pie. In 1928 constituencies, more
than $4,000 polling booths were set
up with each manned by presiding
oficer, five clerks and four police
men. More than $4,000 persons
were employed In the task.
Nehru Has Majority
And now that its over, what is the
result?
Complete returns won't be in until
late next month, but from prelimi-