Alok Shukla
Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India
Reducing Divisive Effects of Competition, Elections
Securing Elections, Election Security, Dispute Resolution
codes of conduct, communications, dispute resolution, election management body, election security, election violence, enfranchising marginalized groups, monitoring, vote fraud
Michael Scharff
India
New Delhi,
India
Thu Nov 18 2010
Abstract
Alok Shukla discusses his work with the Election Commission of India. He talks about the importance of election safety and sheds light on the police deployment strategy that surrounds Indian elections. He opens his discussion with an explanation of the monitoring systems used to keep election violence to a minimum. He continues by speaking of other accountability measures like web-cameras with a direct line to the Election Commission placed in to polling stations in order to ensure proper practice. He then explains the system of vulnerability mapping in order to concentrate the most resources to the most vulnerable polling states. Shukla adds a detailed story about enfranchising communities that had been subject to voter intimidation. He concludes his discussion with the monitoring structures in place to ensure the impartiality of the Election Commission.
Full Profile
At the time of the interview, Alok Shukla had served as a deputy election commissioner in the Election Commission of India for around two years. He had previously served as the chief electoral officer for the state of Chhattisgarh.
