title-3231007

Dalitology:We Dalits are Dalits, we are neither Hindus, nor Christians nor Muslims nor Buddhists, We have our history and our culture. Dalit Religion is our Religion Palash Biswas Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551 Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com Dalitology was written as the Scriptures of the Dalit people. Dalit Panchayats began to be established for internal governance. Booshakthi Kendra was established as a symbol of Dalit resurgence. We Dalits are Dalits, we are neither Hindus, nor Christians nor Muslims nor Buddhists, We have our history and our culture. Dalit Religion is our Religion. This became the strong assertion of the Dalit people. Friends, I have already written on dalit panchayats. Some details relating the functioning and organisation have to be complemented. Meanwhile, I have been discussing with friends countrywide on my experience in Kranataka. The response is very positive. In kolakta, next sunday, Dalit sahitya Sanstha is going to consider the issue in a special meeting. Other orgs and individuals are also very much interested. i have discussed the issue with little mag groups. Beyond Kolkata, I have got favourable responses from Jharkhand, Chhattishgargh, Delhi, Uttarakhand and some other states, I don`t want to disclose at this stage. I have been posting all relevant writeups to the participating intellegentsia and activists in Tumkur Peace event and was hoping to get some feedback. So I preferred to hold on the matter. Since other are also interested, I have to continue the discussion, hoping for more feedbacks. I insist that this experiment should be replicated countrywide, I have discussed the matter with Jyothi and Raj who agreed to cooperate. I am sending you more matter relating to dalit Panchayat and you may see it in REDS website,too! Palash Those who are dalit, dont exploite our dalit brothers on the name of caste, if you practice, you should think and take DNA test. THIAS IS MY REQUEST BY SELVA suppose those who are practice atrocity on dalits, he only untouchable , Those who are not guide properly to our people, he is untouchable Those who are not help to our own society , he is untouchable Those who are not take care of his parents , they are untouchable ----- BUDDHA AND HIS DHAMMA I am introducing our brother mr.T janarthanan, M.phil., research scholar , he is well aware person, among the dalit student in university of madras also he is good social singer and thinker. defenetly he will become a good social pillar of our society. His mail id ; jana_b1985@yahoo. co.in by selvaaaaa Pleas see this News Update: Panchayat presidents could act as executive authorities: Madras HC MADURAI: Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has ruled that a village panchayat president is authorised to act as "Executive Authority" under the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act 1994 and could issue notices to land encroachers. A bench comprising Justice Ibrahim Kalifullah and Justice S Palanivelu said panchyat presidents were entitled to issue notice to land encroachers as executive authorities, though they cannot forcibly take possession of the properties. If the president was unable to secure the property despite issuing the notice, the issue should be taken up with the Revenue Department for further action under the Tamil Nadu Land Encroachment Act 1905, the division bench said. Dismissing a writ petition challenging a notice issued by the president of the Edayakottai panchayat in Dindigul district, the bench said the government pleaders who appeared in similar cases might not have brought to the notice of the court the existence of a 1996 government order, which empowered the presidents to act as executive authorities. Otherwise, the observations in those cases would have been different. The petitioner relied upon two recent decisions which had held that the elected panchayat presidents could not enjoy the executive powers. The Judges said the petitioner was free to make use of the remedies avaliable under Panchyats Act, which state that the inspector of panchayat could decide on the legality of a notice issued by the executive authority. With Panchayats framed as proxy leadership getting more importance in our High caste dominated polity, Dalit Panchayats seem to be a must. Recent Ration riots in bengal has well exposed caste hindu grassroot level hegemony via Panchayati raj! Anita Mathew to me, Jyothi, abirami, amitha, andherih, andhilfe, anitacheria, catholicunion, cdrjaipur, chaudhary.yashu, clareicm, dalitfoundation, drpcsekhar, edwinindia, giriprabhas, hansm, idadeva, imp_dhp, imp_dhp, indiadevelop, indiadevelop, johndayal, johndayal, jpulinsdb, SKESAVULU, mahuruf Thanks so much Palash,for sending this wonderful treatise on the Tumkur event.I am not a journalist but must agree with you that the Dalit Pancahyats should be replicated as it hits at the root cause of human rights violations of any person and that is something we have to salute REDS for and ofcourse Jothi and Raj who have conceptualised it and put it into action in the villages.I was impressed by the empowerment of the Dalit women in the panchayats and Gangamma and Lalitamma truly inspired me in the village visited as Zone 4.It was the high light of the event for me as well as the warmth and hospitality with the cultural show at Bhooshakti Kendra after the visit.The Ashram is an oasis of hope and strength and I hope I can contribute to the various courses being held there to further education in the villages and train genuine leaders who have through years of facing storms and alienation have like trees become strong to withstand all pressures of discrimination and strategies to make them powerless by depriving them of land and basic needs by a so called government that should be following an enlightened constitution framed by Dr Ambedkar-very ironical indeed i would say. So Cheers! to all the participants and may what has strted in Tumkur go on endlessly for true cahnge with peace and justice to happen for all. I just returned from the north east! With best wishes, Anita Mathew (Goa) himanshu ranjan to me show details 9:16 am (9 hours ago) Dear Palash Bhai, Aapne mujhe phir ubaar liya.Mao ne kahin likha hai lower middle class ke baare me ki bas halka-sa khod do, bharbharaa kar dukhon ka jakhira saamane aane lagataa hai. I'm very grateful to you for the alert you aptly inserted at the crucial point. Darasal main pichhale kai saalon se apane is khol se baahar aane ki koshish men hoon. Aap ko vishwas nahin hoga, hosh men aane ke baad se aaye tamaam padaaon par ja-ja kar main logon, khaas vyktiyon, sandarbhon, paristhitiyon aur uname aaye badlaaon ko samajhane ka abhiyaan-sa chlaaye huye hoon. Roji-roti ki mashakkat ke baavajud khaali jo hoon. Just look at the mindset, I didn't bother to recollect the things around you before approaching though I have been well aware of them. With a very short association with you I'm obliged to have a great impression and impact on me. I have gone through the matter you sent. With a few otherwise observations, I highly appreciate and endorse the mission. Please take me as a 'fisaddi' friend and bear with me. It will be my pleasure to get involved in such activities. What do you think of the resent janaadesh rally? Looking forward to continue..........Yours, Himanshu. 8. Meeting Notice A clear 21 days should be given to send meeting notices to all DPMs. The letters calling for the Parliament Meeting should be sent by registered post 21 days before the actual meeting date. The Supreme Council of Dalit Elders will meet prior to this and formally decide on the date for the Parliament Meeting. Notices for Parliament Meetings will be sent out only after the meeting of the Supreme Council. 9. Quorum The Quorum for the Dalit Parliament Meeting will be attendance by one third of the existing members of Dalit Parliament. 10. Absence from Parliament Meetings All DPMs are expected to attend Parliament meetings without fail. However, for unexpected reasons one or other DPM may be absent for a meeting. When such occasions of absence arise the concerned DPM must send a written letter to the Speaker explaining the reason for absence. If any DPM absents himself or herself for more than three consecutive meetings notices will be sent to the concerned DPM for appropriate actions. 8 11. Absence Without Notice If any DPM absents himself/herself from Parliament meetings without notice consecutively three times it will be deemed that the concerned DPM has withdrawn from the Parliament on his/her own accord and proceedings will be initiated to elect new members in his/her place. 12. Speaker of the Parliament In the first meeting of the Dalit Parliament, after the oath taking the elected members of the Dalit Parliament will elect a Speaker to conduct the proceedings of the Parliament. The following procedures will be followed for the election of the Speaker of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament. 11.a. The post of the Speaker of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament is always reserved for a Dalit woman in the first 30 months of the term of the Parliament. If for one or other reason an elected Speaker resigns before the end of the 30 months period the next Speaker elected should be only a Dalit woman till the end of the 30 months period. 11.b. The post of the Speaker of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament will be by a general contest in the latter 30 months. This will not be a period of reservation for men. Both men and women can contest the post of the Speaker and whoever wins will be sworn in as the Speaker. 11.c. Each DPM will cast a single secret vote by writing the name of the candidate that she/he would prefer to occupy the chair of the Speaker of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament. 11.d. The five candidates who gain the maximum number of votes in the first round will be selected for the next round of voting. 11.e. If there is a tie in the number of vote gained by any member among the top five both will be selected for next round of voting. If there is a tie in the fifth member, i.e. if two members score the same votes in the fifth place then both of them will be selected for the next round thus making a total number of six contestants in the second round. 11.f. Before moving to the second round of voting all the selected five candidates will be given a choice either to accept their candidature or to reject it. If any DPM rejects her/his candidature DPM in the sixth place in the first round will be promoted to contest in the second round. 9 11.g. All DPMs will cast their single secret vote in the second round for one of the five candidates selected in the first round. 11.h. If any of the five candidates gains two thirds of the total votes in the second round she/he will be declared elected as the Speaker. 11.i. In case no one among the five candidates gains two thirds of the total votes in the second round of voting one two among the five candidates who score the highest number of votes will be selected for the third round of voting. 11.j. The Third round of voting will be conclusive. One of the two who scores the highest number of vote will be declared elected as the Speaker. 12. Deputy Speaker of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament The same procedures for the election of the Speaker will be followed also for the election of the Deputy Speaker. However, there will be the following additional procedures. 12.a. The Deputy Speaker will be a man if the Speaker is a woman. This will be the case in the first term of the Parliament. The Deputy Speaker will be a woman if the Speaker is a man in the second term of the Parliament. This complimentary nature of gender will be a guiding principle in the procedures of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament. 12.b. The Deputy Speaker will not be from the same taluk of the Speaker. He/She should be from a taluk and also preferably a Division other than that of the Speaker so that there is no undue dominance of one taluk or one division in the proceedings of the Parliament. 13.Disputes vis-à-vis Speaker and Deputy Speaker All Disputes with regard to the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be referred to Ammaji and Appaji in the first Parliament. In the subsequent Parliaments, however such disputes will be referred to previous Supreme Council. 14. The Supreme Council of Dalit Elders After the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker the DPMs will go about selecting a ten member Supreme Council of Dalit Elders to guide the Dalit 10 Panchayat Parliament in the values that govern the Dalit community all over India. This selection will not be through ballot. It will be through mutual discussions and consensus. 15.Formation of Ministries The Supreme Council, either on the first day of the Parliament or on another day immediately after the first meeting of the Parliament will select and announce Ministers to take responsibility for the following Ministries. 1. The Ministry of Land Affairs 2. The Ministry of Government Schemes 3. The Ministry of Women Leadership 4. The Ministry of Duty and Discipline 5. The Ministry of Dalit Panchayat Promotion 6. The Ministry of Dalit Politics and Electoral Reforms 7. The Ministry of Finance and Management 8. The Ministry of Dalit Religion and Culture 9. The Ministry of Dalit Education 16. Eligibility for Ministers Any DPM is eligible to become a Minister including members of the Supreme Council. However, gender and taluk balance must be maintained as much as possible. This will be at the discretion of the Supreme Council. 17. Change of Ministers The Supreme Council will also have the authority to suggest to the Parliament changes in the ministry from time to time after assessment of the value foundation and performance of the different Ministers. 11 18. Suspension In the value of the Dalit community suspending a member should not be easily done. However, if the value understanding of a DPM goes seriously against the values of the Dalit culture such members should be suspended for a short period to give a chance to take corrective measures. 19. Dismissal The term dismissal is not part of the Dalit culture. However, because of the influx of dominant values in Dalit culture many Dalits have shown serious signs of violating Dalit cultural standards and opting with dominant cultures. Therefore, the Supreme Council as well as the Parliament must strike the delicate balance of retaining the DPMs as much as possible and not allowing them to take Dalit communities for granted. Anything that goes seriously against the long term interest of our people should be viewed as a serious violation of the ethos of the Dalit Parliament. The procedures both for suspension and dismissal will be that the Parliament will first take a decision after deliberations and inform the Supreme Council of their decision. The Supreme Council will meet and take a final decision. 20. Serving Notice Both suspension and Dismissals will be taken recourse to only after serving notice to the concerned DPM and getting her/his written response. Each notice will give a period of one month for the DPM to clarify her/his position. The Speaker or the Deputy Speaker in the absence of the Speaker will have the authority to serve notices. 21. Record of Proceedings The Parliament will appoint one among them to be recording secretary who will maintain a strict record of all proceedings of the Parliament and Supreme Council meetings. The Books of records will be kept in office of the Parliament and will never be taken out of the office for any reason whatsoever. 22. Allowances 12 22.a. All members of Dalit Panchayat Parliament are eligible to actual travel expenses and a sitting allowance of Rs.50/- per day of meeting. 22.b. The Speaker is eligible for actual travel as well as an additional executive allowance of Rs. 150/- per meeting day. 22.c. The Deputy Speaker is eligible for actual travel as well as an additional executive allowance of Rs.100/- per meeting day. 22.d. The members of the Supreme Council are eligible for actual travel and a daily allowance of Rs.50/- per meeting day. 22.e. Food will be served free for all on meeting days. 23. Eligibility for TA and Allowances In order to be eligible to get both travel and sitting allowance all members should arrive for the Parliament Meeting at the stipulated time of 10 in the morning. However, keeping in mind the unpredictable situation of village travel members who come late and join the Parliament meeting till 11 in the morning will be eligible for allowances. However, those who come later than 11 a.m. will forfeit both travel as well as sitting allowances. 24. Absence of Speaker/Deputy Speaker If on any meeting day either Speaker or the Deputy Speaker or both of them fail to turn up by 10 a.m. one member of the Supreme Council will take the Chair and start the meeting. If any one of them or both of them fail to turn up for the meeting they will be levied a fine of Rs. 100/- per meeting day. 25. Double Membership Members who are elected to the Dalit Panchayat Parliament cannot be office bearers of any political parties. Those DPMs who are also in the pay roll of REDS on monthly basis should resign from any one of these. The choice is completely theirs. This should be done before taking oath in the Parliament. Oath taking will not be allowed to any member unless he/she resigns from any one of these positions. 26. Selection of New Members From Taluks 13 In the event of either resignation, dismissal or death of a DPM a new member will be elected from the same taluk through the Taluk List system. The Taluk Dalit Panchayat will meet together and elect another member from its taluk to be sent to the Parliament. 27. No Confidence Motion At any time of the term of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament a No Confidence motion against the Speaker can be moved provided the motion has the signature of one third of the total existing members of the Parliament. After passing the No Confidence Motion and discussing it in the Parliament it will have to be approved by two thirds of voting in the Parliament. After this the No Confidence Motion will have to be sent to the Supreme Council for final ratification. 28. Roles and Responsibilities A separate document will be prepared on the roles and responsibilities of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament. The role of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament is to empower the Dalit community through the Dalit Panchayat Movement. A separate book on such roles will be prepared in consultation with the DPMs. 29. Attendance by General members The Dalit Panchayat Parliament meeting can be attended by any attested member of the Dalit Panchayats provided they are authorized by one of the DPMs. Such members of Dalit Panchayats have no speaking rights in the Parliament. They can at best be silent observers. If they speak they will asked to leave the Parliament or if needed even be physically moved out of the Parliament. 30. Attendance by Pay Roll Leaders All leaders of the Hobli and Taluk levels can attend the Dalit Panchayat Parliament Meetings at their will. They will however, be only observers during the meeting. Unless they are specially invited by the Speaker of the Parliament to attend the meeting they will not be eligible for any Travel allowance from REDS. 14 31. Attendance by non-members Since it is a Parliament meeting observers will be allowed. However, taking into consideration that some observers could come into the Parliament Meeting with a hidden purpose causing disruption to the proceedings of the Parliament it is necessary that all non-members come into the meeting with an accreditation from one of the members of the Parliament. Any disturbance caused by such visitors will fall back on the Parliament member who recommended his/her intrusion. Such visitors will have no right to TA or DA. They will be given food only on prior information of their attendance and based on the availability of food. 32. Attendance by Press The Press is always welcome to cover the proceeding of the Dalit Parliament. However, they have no power to raise any question within the Parliament itself while the meeting is going on. They can take appointment from members and interview them during free time, prior to the meeting or after the meeting. 33. Special Guests Ammaji and Appaji will have the privilege of bringing in visitors from India and Other countries to watch the proceedings of the Parliament as well as to interact with members during the Parliament meeting for a limited period of time without disrupting the proceedings. They, however, will have to take the explicit permission of the Speaker before bringing in any such visitor. 34. Amendments Amendments to the proceedings of the Dalit Parliament will be taken up on expressed and written notice by any member. Adopting the amendment however, will be done based on the consent of two thirds of members present in the Parliament meeting. 35. General Remarks a. Members of the Dalit Panchayat Parliament are requested to come with black and blue dress whenever it is possible for them to set an example to others. 15 b. Members are advised to use Blue Thilak while entering the Parliament for meetings. Members who use RED Thilak which is a symbol of Brahminism may be asked by the Speaker to go out and come back with blue Thilak. c. Any derogatory remarks about Dalits or Women in general will invoke the strongest condemnation of the Dalit Parliament. Repeated usage of such remarks will invoke the temporary expulsion of a member from a meeting on a particular day. d. Members of Dalit Parliament are advised not to invoke the names of leaders of other Dalit movements in a derogatory way. e. As Dalits we should set an example to the dominant caste politicians of this country. Therefore, there should not be any physical touch of members during discussions, abusive words on other members of the Parliament or shouting at the same time. Members can however, express their strong disagreement with the speech or behavior of another member. This should be done only after getting permission from the Speaker to speak. f. It is generally understood that Ammaji and Appaji are held in great veneration by all members of the Dalit community in Tumkur District. However, getting their blessings should not take place within the Parliament or during the Parliament meetings. That should be done either before or after the formal Parliament meetings. 1 District Dalit Panchayat Parliament Tumkur District 14 April 2007 Election Rules and Procedures 1. Total Number of DDP Seats : 100 2. Each voter will have two votes 3. Prior to the election to DDP each Taluk DP must meet and submit a list of Fifteen members from the Taluk to be elected to the DDP. The list will be submitted to the Election Commission specially set up for conducting the DDP elections. 4. The fifteen members thus selected by the Taluk DP should follow the pattern of two representatives from each Hobli. In Taluks where there are only 4 Hoblis and where there are six Hoblis it is at the discretion of the Taluk DP to select 10 members to the electoral list proportionately representing the Hoblis. 5. Besides the eleven members from the Hoblis each Taluk should propose names of four other members for direct elections. These four members can be anybody from the Taluk. However, two of them should be compulsorily women. A Taluk may choose to have either three or all the four women candidates for direct elections. But there should not be more than two men among the four. 6. The list should be prepared in the order of preference by the Taluk DP. The first four names are eligible for direct elections using the majoritarian system. The others will be elected according to the proportion of votes that each Taluk gains. The election of members from proportionate voting will start from the fifth name in the Taluk List. 7. In the List of 15 members from each taluk the number of women should be either equal or more than equal. The order of the list should be the first name should be of a woman member and the next one will be that of a man. 2 8. The two members thus selected from each Hobli and the other four for direct election can already be elected members of either the Hobli DP or of the Taluk DP. If they are elected to the DDP, they should vacate their respective seats. The Hobli DP and the Taluk DPs should meet subsequently and elect new members in their place. 9. From the Taluk Electoral List the first four members will contest for direct vote on the day of DDP election. All members of DPs from different Taluks can caste their direct vote, which is their first vote to any candidate from their respective taluk. From among the four in each taluk one woman who gets the highest vote and one man who gets the highest vote will be declared elected. The other two will not be eligible to become members of the DDP. 10. The voting pattern with the first vote will follow the method that is in practice now. That is, a voter from one taluk can vote only for candidates from his/her respective taluks which is equivalent to the present constituency or an electoral district. 11. The other members will be elected according to the percentage of votes that each taluk gains on the day of DDP election through the second vote. If a taluk gains 4% of votes it will be eligible to have four members elected to the DDP from its Taluk List. If a Taluk gains 14% votes it will be eligible to have 14 members elected to the DDP. 12. Each Taluk will be given an election symbol on the request of the Taluk DP. Each taluk can give five election symbols of their choice from which the Election Commission will allot one in the order of the Taluk preference. Booshakthi and Dalit Symbols will not be given as election symbols. 13. There will be two ballot papers. 9.a. One ballot paper will contain the 4 names of all the candidates contesting for direct election. Each voter will mark only one name in this ballot paper. There will be a symbol for each directly electable member. The rules for allotting the symbols will be the same as in no.12. Each taluk will have a separate ballot paper only with the names and symbols of candidates from it. 9.b. The second ballot paper will have the Taluk symbols with the names of each taluk printed against the symbol. Each voter will mark his/her preferred taluk to be represented in the DDP. This will be known as the second vote. Taluks can make their own alliances and coalitions prior to the election in order to gain the maximum number of their candidates elected from the Party List. 3 14. Cross voting and calculated voting are allowed in the taluk list. 15. All the 100 members thus elected through the DDP elections will be known as the District Dalit Panchayat Parliament. 16. The DDPP will meet at a later date to elect from among them the Supreme Council of the Dalit Panchayat as explained in Dalitology. Polling Booths 17. On the day of polling appropriate arrangements will be made for smooth polling by all the voters. Barricades will be set up and ballot boxes will be placed. Barricades will be made in such a way that voters from each taluk will be able to proceed in an orderly manner to the ballot boxes meant for their taluk. Voters from each taluk must go in line only through the barricade that is meant for their taluk. 18. As the voter enters the barricades there will be polling agents who will check the membership card of each voter. The membership card must bear the name of the taluk from the voter hails besides the membership details. After verifying the details the polling agent will affix a stamp on the membership card so that it will not be used again for proxy voting. 19. The polling agent will also check the index finger on the left hand of each voter to see that there is no mark with an indelible ink that is used on the polling day to identify those who have already voted. 20. Another polling agent will then hand over the ballot papers and explain to the voter what she/he must do with both the ballot papers, how to affix the seal, how to fold the ballot papers and then how to drop them into the ballot boxes. 21. After casting the vote to their favorite candidates and taluks the voters will go out of the polling booth. However, as they go out of the polling booth an indelible ink will be applied to their index finger in the left hand. Invalid Votes 22. A vote will be declared invalid only when a seal is affixed in between two lives without the vote being clear to be counted either way. If there are mistakes in the way of folding the ballot paper by some voters and yet if it is possible to identify the candidate or Taluk for whom the voter has voted it will still be a valid vote. 4 23. All the ballot papers that may be identical to the ballot paper printed by the Election Commission and have managed to sneak into the ballot boxes will be declared invalid. 24. Ballot papers that are tampered for purposes other than voting will be declared invalid. Disqualification 25. If it is found that any of the persons either contesting directly or in the Taluk list is already an elected member of any political party it will invoke disqualification from the District Dalit Panchayat Parliament. 26. Any candidate who is found to be providing drinks or other materials to gain votes will be disqualified. 27. Any candidate with known criminal records or known to be a wife-basher or to be indulging in compulsive misbehavior with women will be disqualified. Other Conditions 28. All taluks will select either equal or more number of women representatives in their taluk list. 29. Decisions of Election Commission will be final in all electoral matters. 30. No excuses on the day of election will be entertained. Misunderstanding and not understanding the election rules will be at the risk of the Taluk and Hobli Leaders. All must take the responsibility to clarify any issue with the Election Commission sufficiently early and also educate the members of their Taluk DPs. Timing of Elections 31. The election timing for the District Dalit Panchayat Parliament in the year 2007 will be from 08 hours to 14 hours on 14 April 2007. Closing Procedures 32. The Chief Election Commissioner will personally ensure the proper sealing of the ballot boxes at the end of voting. 5 33. Sealing of ballot boxes will be done in the presence of other members of the Election Commission, the Director of REDS, the Dalit Swamiji, the appointed Taluk leaders of Tumkur District and the polling Agents. 34. After the sealing the ballot boxes the Chief Election Commissioner, accompanied by all the officers mentioned above in No. 33 will take the ballot boxes with adequate police or other security personnel to the office REDS at Shanthinagar. 35. In the office of REDS at Shanthinagar in the presence of all the mentioned officers and under the surveillance of the police and/or other security personnel the Chief Election Commissioner will place all the ballot boxes in one room and seal the room so that nobody else will be able enter the room until it is opened by the Chief Election Commissioner or a person deputed by her/him on the day of counting. Procedures for Counting of Votes 36. On the day of counting i.e. on 15 April 2007 the ballot boxes will be opened in the presence of the Chief Election Commissioner along with his/her colleagues and the polling agents as nominated by the Taluk Leaders. 37. The Chief Election Commissioner will make sure, before removing the seals of the ballot boxes, that the ballot boxes have not been tampered with and that no mischief has been done with the ballot boxes in the preceding night. 38. The counting agents will then start their task of sorting out the votes and counting of votes. They will first separate the white ballot papers from the pink ballot papers in each ballot box. 39. First they will count the votes of the direct contestants in each taluk and will announce the results over loud speakers as soon as the counting is over. 40. If the observers from each taluk bring up any procedural anomaly while counting the Election Commissioner may order recounting of ballot papers in the concerned taluk. 41. Upon announcing the results of the direct candidates election from each taluk the polling agents will begin to count the ballot papers of the Taluk List. 6 Election Results 42. Minimum percentage of votes required for any Taluk to be represented in the DDP is 2.5%. This will be kn