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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000133 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O.  12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM IN
SUBJECT: BHARAT BALLOT 09:  POLITICAL SUCCESS REQUIRES GRASSROOTS 
EFFORT 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Often lost in the coverage of India's elections 
are the details of how the process works on the local level.  Local 
political figures in Kerala explained that direct contact with 
voters is critical.  Political parties rely on "booth committees," 
pulled from extensive networks of local party leaders, to reach out 
to the country's massive electorate.  Booth committee members go 
village to village and house to house, allowing the parties to make 
contact with virtually every voter.  Another important aspect of 
Indian democracy is the country's influential Election Commission, 
which sets rules that govern virtually every aspect of the conduct 
of campaigning and voting.  End summary. 
 
Booth committees get out the vote 
----------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) While state- and national-level party leaders dictate which 
candidates will run in which districts, local political figures 
actually conduct the campaigns and get out the vote.  Several local 
political leaders explained to us in detail the methods they use to 
communicate with prospective voters.  Indian political parties 
employ a system combining the iconic large-scale political rallies 
that Indian elections are known for with a sophisticated, 
multi-tiered voter contact system based on "booth committees." 
Local party representatives form a committee for each polling place, 
which serves as the backbone of efforts to solicit votes.  The 
typical booth committee is responsible for approximately a thousand 
voters, and its members are prominent people who are well-known to 
the community.  As the political headliners hold large rallies in 
cities and towns, booth committee members visit each and every home 
in the rural towns and villages.  The booth committees also work to 
get their party's candidates to visit voters both at home and in the 
community.  The booth committees are the most basic unit of campaign 
organization; every parliamentary campaign has several layers of 
committees overseeing the booth committees, each of which plans and 
executes election activities. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Among the most important voter outreach activities are 
small meetings with women in their homes.  While men are often 
working outside the home, and therefore more apt to come into 
contact with candidates, women are more often working in home-based 
businesses or caring for children in the home.  Politicians view 
women voters as a particularly desirable constituency because they 
reliably cast their votes.  In addition to the home visits, 
political parties organize meetings aimed at giving women the chance 
to voice their opinions on the issues that are important to them. 
One of the demands raised by the women of Kerala this election 
season, we were told, has been equal pay for equal work. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Candidates keep to grueling schedules made even more 
difficult as temperatures often soar into the 90s and 100s.  During 
our visit to a village, we witnessed a candidate in the middle of a 
twenty-five stop day.  A typical day includes a variety of events 
ranging from simple meet-and-greets to town hall-type meetings and 
speeches.  On a stop we observed, the candidate arrived on the back 
of a campaign jeep which was blaring slogans and music.  He was 
greeted by a brass band and a mixture of eager party campaigners and 
somewhat perplexed locals.  The candidate graciously accepted the 
offered garlands, shook a few hands, posed for photos, and was then 
off to the next event. 
 
Election Commission casts a long shadow 
--------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) India's Election Commission is an influential force. 
Candidates and their handlers are acutely aware of the penalties 
that may be handed down by the Election Commission for violations of 
the Moral Code of Conduct that governs the election and campaigns. 
The Commission's mandate is a broad one:  it lays down rules on 
simple issues such as how late events can be held or where signs can 
be posted, but also bars ruling parties from using government 
 
CHENNAI 00000133  002 OF 002 
 
 
offices to advance their political campaigns and  polices against 
speech that inflames religious and caste-based tensions.  A 
political operative in neighboring Tamil Nadu told post that "the 
Election Commission has taken all the fun out of campaigning." 
 
¶6. (SBU) The most visible sign of the Commission's reach into the 
Kerala election was the sight of campaign posters covered in black 
'X's.  Any poster hung without either the permission of the 
Commission or the owner of the property where it was placed risked 
being crossed out by the EC.  All parties were treated equally, as 
far as we saw in terms of posters displaying black 'X's.  In Andhra 
Pradesh, we saw a spirited political rally break up promptly at 
10:00 p.m. in compliance with the Election Commission's rules on 
timing of events. 
 
The name game 
--------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Kerala had several instances where candidates with the 
same, or at least very similar, name as a more popular candidate 
appeared on the ballot.  The homonymous candidate existed solely to 
undermine the prospects of the more popular candidate.  These 
"ghost" candidates never campaigned, but merely had their names on 
the ballot in the hopes that they would draw votes from the other 
candidate.  One of our contacts mentioned that this situation had 
been used against her in a college-level election.  While she won 
the election, it was by a very close margin given the votes that 
went to the closely named candidate. 
 
Electronic voting machines 
------------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) India uses electronic voting machines at all polling 
stations.  Portability and reliability are required given both the 
number and variety of polling locations.  We had a demonstration of 
one of the machines in Kerala.  Each machine has two sections -- a 
ballot section and a control section -- and fits into a small 
briefcase-sized container.  Polling officials enter the candidate 
information into the machines prior to the voting date.  Each ballot 
section holds candidate information for up to sixteen candidates. 
Voters press a large button next to the candidate of their choice 
and should hear a tone to signify their vote has been registered. 
At the end of the polling day, the machines are locked and stored 
until the end of national voting.  After counting, results are 
stored on machines for up to six months in case there are court 
proceedings regarding the elections. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment:  Analysts often say the lack of "party machinery" 
makes it difficult for new players to compete in Indian elections. 
Indian elections are intensely local affairs, and in Kerala we saw 
first-hand the effort required to mount a grassroots campaign 
reaching the state's 23 million voters.  The major parties, through 
an expansive network of local party officials working as booth 
committees, manage to provide individual attention to virtually 
every voter.  This is time-consuming, expensive, and physically 
exhausting work.  Although it goes largely unnoticed in the 
country's major English language media, this grassroots component is 
crucial to any political party achieving electoral success in India. 
 End comment. 
 
KAPLAN