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| TN Seshan in 1994 (File Pic), Wikipedia |
A nation of millions shook in the nervous nineties -
in an era of political gimmicks punctured by electoral malpractices.
But one man rose from the corridors of power,
and an institution was rebuilt from scratch, so the corrupt could cower.
Cards of Identity to the embattled voters;
the good changes invited crass curses from those with vested powers.
Pitched battles were fought for the victory of truth, in consecutive annals;
Be it Punjab or Bihar - the commission's word was perfectly final.
A culture of adherance to rules began on the high altar of democracy -
for once, the dumb millions shook with happy pride despite the official obstinacy.
Elections will come and go like seasons; - mother nature's variation
but there would never be another Seshan for this gigantic nation!
Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan (1932-2019), popularly called TN Seshan was the tenth Chief Election Commissioner of India (1990-96) whose adherence to rules, style of functioning and electoral reforms are a stuff of legends - under him, the Election Commission of India became one of the glorified Constitutional institutions running on the pillars of Transparency and Accountability, winning universal public acclaim and respect, but also earning him brickbats form unscrupulous elements (i.e, the political class who always bent the rules during elections)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._N._Seshan
Picture above - Credits to Rishabh Tatiraju from Wikipedia
