This is how inclusive Indian democracy is. Look at Arunachal Pradesh. Poll officials have travelled for days to places in Lumta, Pakke, Anini and Bordumsa which has just 3 voters each. In other parts like Tawang, Kurun Kumey, Upper Subansiri, Mechuka and Anjaw officials have walked on foot for three days after travelling on elephant back crossing rivers .690 polling personnel had to be transported by helicopter. Polling has been held at Thingbu at an altitude of 12, 148 ft and Luguthhand at 13,157 ft.

Indian elections overcome impossible logistics to ensure that people cast their vote. How freely or fairly they cast is something we can never tell. In Bijoynagar one of India's easternmost airstrip and a historical one that too, polling couldn't even be held in the last LS elections along with the rest of the country. Poor weather means aircraft can't navigate so poll officials couldn't reach on time. RituRaj Konwar a photojournalist was stranded in Bijoynagar for a week when he went there to cover the election preparation this year. While the exercise is inclusive voters are far removed from the election process. Voters there Rituraj said had no idea of the names of the candidates or political parties contesting. All connectivity had collapsed. Even wireless sets were not working. There was no power to charge batteries. But voting was ensured in Bijoynagar this year though it's a bit of a farce when voters don't even know who to vote for.

The story is surprisingly no different in other parts of the region or even  the country.  Danny Dimasa is an unemployed youth in Kheroni  township on the border of Karbianglong and N C Hills. Danny says election means a few rupees and voting means casting on a certain symbol, enmasse. The symbol is decided by the village headman and determined by the kind of feast organized by the candidate. In other words the incentive is critical.

Therefore while it's been a remarkable first phase of elections with an incident free N C Hills and Karbianglong , the vote in itself has virtually lost its meaning. Till last evening grenades were taking off in Halflong, in N C Hills. Half a dozen attacks on trains passing through these districts have been reported in the run up to the polls. Security forces have been targeted. Suddenly on the day of polling the militants decided to withdraw their threat because they said they believe in the democratic process. They apparently arrived at some monetary understanding with political parties to ensure that militants will stay away for just that one day. Three helicopters and six thousand security personnel besides the routine counter insurgency forces for one parliamentary seat is a massive exercise. Neither democracy works here nor intimidation. What works is brazen nexus. A nexus in which the chief executive member of the autonomous council was recently alleged to have sponsored sixty Ak 47 rifles for a militant outfit. The member is absconding but the guns have made their way to the hills where life will soon return to a living hell.The ballot  boxes or ballot machines will move out along with the  security forces and the boys in fatigue ruling the hills will take over. For the next five years they will determine the development of the area not the candidates the people were asked to vote for.

The farce doesn't end here. Certain places in Nagaland for example Puoghoboto has recorded a 93.66 per cent turnout. Mon showed 94 per cent and Kifri an impressive 95 per cent. What happens, however, in Nagaland and a lot of hill districts of Manipur where NSCN(IM) reigns is proxy voting. At least two polling stations in Churachandpur in Manipur had a very low voter turnout but the EVM recorded a hundred per cent vote.

So the election commission's job is done. Voting to ten of the twenty four seats in insurgent North East ( a resurgent Sikkim has been forced to join this exclusive club reluctantly) have been completed without a glitch. Almost.

The ballot over the bullet as they say but cast without freedom of choice or not cast at all.