ComET
Communication Plan for Election Tracking
Communication Plan
• A Perfect Communication Plan is an essential
component of an effective Election Management
System.
• It enables micro-management of elections,
concurrent tracking and evaluation of issues and
mid-course corrections.
• It helps the ‘perception management’ and creates a
huge ‘psychological presence’
• It helps the prioritization for intervention.
• It builds confidence.
Communication Plan
• CP minimizes the response time.
• Enhances Transparency.
• As the free and fair elections is not only an end
product but, a process in itself, effective
information management energizes the process at
every level.
• Piloting during recent general elections (Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan) proved the efficacy of the
concept.
• ComET seeks to upscale the plan for a country –
wide application during GE 2009
What is ComET
•
•
ComET is SEARCH enabled Database of Polling Station level
communication contact points for focused tracking on the poll day.
The Plan operates through a well structured multi-layer Communication
Teams (CTs)
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ARO (Assembly segment level),
DEO (District Level)
CEO (State Level)
ECI (National Level )
Communication Teams will have clear demarcation of geographical areas
and communication-related responsibilities geared to quick crisis resolution
and grievance monitoring and information flow.
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ComET
How it works?
•
The ECI has issued circulars on communication plan which are available on the
front page of the Commission’s website
•
Communication Plan circular 1 Dated 28th March,’09 puts forth:
• Format 1 – for Polling Station level CP
• Format 2A – for ARO (Assembly segment) level Communication Team;
groups of 10 to 25 Polling Stations to be assigned to 1 member of ARO
level Communication Team.
• Format 2B – for DEO (District) level Communication Team; each AC to
be given to 2 or more persons in the Communication Team.
• Format 2C – for CEO (State) level Communication Team; each PC/
District to be given to 2 or more persons in the Communication Team.
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ComET
How it works?
• The Election Commission of India has established a well
equipped Control Room for the purpose of running the
Communication Plan on the poll days.
• The Communication Teams at ECI Head Quarters will track Poll
Day events through State Level, District Level, AC level and at
the Polling Station level.
• OK reports and ‘comfort messages’ will be obtained on preidentified issues and events.
• Significant events at any locations will be monitored in a focused
manner.
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ComET
Is about Team Work
•
Every member of the Communication Team at each tier, and the Polling
Station level Communication Plan must know all contact numbers and
other details of all the persons associated with him in related higher
and lower tiers.
•
Every body in the Communication Plan setup must be clear as to
“WHO IS TO TALK TO WHOM, AND HOW”.
•
Communication will be professional, focused, within the ‘time frame’
given for tracking specific mile-stone feed-backs.
•
No extra word will be spoken.
•
It is not a free-for all, causal communication plan. It is about getting the
correct information from the correct location by the correct persons to
be passed on to the correct persons in a correct manner in correct time.
Organizational Tree for the Communication Plan
Level 1
ECI
Level 2
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
Level 3
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
……
…
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
……
…
Level 4
ARO
ARO
Zone/Sector
ARO
ARO
Zone/Sector
ARO
ARO
Zone/Sector
ARO
Zone/Sector
ARO
ARO
Zone/Sector
ARO
ARO
Zone/Sector
ARO
Zone/Sector
……….
Level 5
Polling Stations
Polling Stations
Polling Stations
Polling Stations
Polling Stations
Polling Stations
……………
ComET- The Logistics
•
The Team Members of ARO, DEO and CEO level Communication
Teams should be given adequate
• Landline phone connections
• Mobile phone connections
• Fax lines
• E-mail connections with computers/ printers
• (If the ARO, DEO and CEO level Communication Team, as well as the
contacts in the Polling Station level CP, use their personal mobiles/
resources for the purpose of running the CP on the day of the poll or during
dry runs/ rehearsals, they should be suitably reimbursed for the expense
they incur in this regard by the CEO office.)
ComET- Deadlines
•
All Polling Station CP information was to be manually collected in
handwriting in copies of Format 1 at DEO levels by 2nd April, 2009.
•
All information in Formats 2A, 2B, 2C was to be sent on the e-mail
addresses
ecicp2009@gmail.com and ashishs@eci.gov.in
latest by 6th April, 2009.
ComET- Deadlines
All data entries of Format 1 on the URL http://ecicp.nic.in to be completed
in a staggered manner phase wise as follows:
Phase Number
Original T/L
Revised T/L
Phase 1
6 April, 2009
11 April, 2009
Phase 2
8 April, 2009
14 April, 2009
Phase 3
10 April, 2009
17 April, 2009
Phase 4
13 April, 2009
20 April, 2009
Phase 5
15 April, 2009
24 April, 2009
ComET- The Access
In order to facilitate faster data entry in the web form for Format 1:
•
A number of NIC servers across the country have been made available for
hosting this application and database.
•
CEOs can ask their SIO of NIC to explore the possibility of hosting their states’
databases (along with the application) at the state level.
•
Phase-wise, PC-wise PDFs of Polling Station wise CP data with SEARCH option
are being prepared at the ECI.
•
ECI shall attempt to make available to CEOs PC-wise PDFs for every phase,
which the CEOs can further provide to the ROs/ DEOs in their states.
•
SIOs of NIC can on parallel basis explore the possibility of doing the same in
their states.
•
(For data entry the application has been written with SQL back-end and ASP front-end).
ComET- The Access
• Analysis and Report options are disabled from time to time for
the state/ district levels (in order to reduce the load arising from
such queries on servers).
• CEOs are requested to collect daily District-wise progress of
data entry of Polling Station CP on the web-form through direct
information gathering and inform the ECI of the same.
MOCK-RUNS / REHEARSALS
OBJECTIVE
To make every person, who is a part of the CP set-up - at the PS, ARO,
DEO/ RO, CEO, ECI levels –have hands-on awareness, knowledge
and practise about his role and responsibilities in the CP.
SCHEDULE
Phase Number
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5
1st Mock-Run
13 April, 2009
18 April, 2009
25 April, 2009
2 May, 2009
9 May, 2009
2nd Mock-Run
14 April, 2009
20 April, 2009
27 April, 2009
4 May, 2009
11 May, 2009
[TIME: 2 PM to 4 PM]
ComET: Precautions
•
Keep conversation brief and to-the-point to keep the communication
channels free from being jammed and congested.
•
Ensure constant contacts with service provider and ensure the networks are in good health.
•
Ensure that every person in the hierarchy, who is a part of the CP, is
fully supplied with all the contact numbers and other details of all the
related persons above and below him in the CP hierarchy.
•
Try and keep separate phone lines for incoming and outgoing phone
calls, where ever possible.
ComET: Poll Day Priorities
Poll day Collection of Information about …
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Conduct of mock-poll and mock-poll certificate
•
Presence and absence of polling agents (specially during mock-poll)
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EVM malfunctioning and replacement-time
•
Tracking of voting by voters from pre-identified vulnerable locations
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Percentage polling from time to time
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Use of EPIC and other identification documents
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Significant events at polling stations if any
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And other reports which must be made available in Time–Limits.
For the Poll day, Do …
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Ensure that coverage of mobiles, telephones etc gets maximized.
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Enlist and ensure co-operation from individuals whose telephone numbers have been
incorporated in CP with their consent.
ComET: The Scope
• The efficacy of this Communication Plan actually
depends on how many focused calls made by
Communication Teams on the poll day at every
level.
• It is not about how many calls will be made from
New Delhi but about how many calls are made to
polling stations by AC/ DEO/ CEO teams.
• Except for random verifications, the tracking
protocol should be adhered to. But, random
contacts from any level to any level is a MUST.
ComET: Let us take the Call.
• We Promise to Make Calls from National Control
Room to Polling Stations across the country, the
CEOs control rooms, DEO control rooms and AC
control rooms.
• The Commission expects that every body who is
part of this CP, anticipates the Call and he TAKES
THE CALL.
• Let us TAKE THE CALL.
• THIS is THE CALL that WE WON’T MISS.
THANKS