 When India chose the Republican form of government and universal franchise the prophets of doom described it as The biggest gamble in history. The finishing line is yet to come But at this moment we can surely pause to smell the roses. We can take a step back and say Looks like the gamble paid off What a humbling sight the privileged and the marginalized Standing in the same line waiting to cast their vote Candidates in India span a wide spectrum of backgrounds Castes religions and status the world calls it a miracle But India knows better it has been a tough and tumultuous journey riddled with Unimaginable complexities and challenges that may seem bewildering to the modern mind Multi-hued and lively in more ways than one Indian elections have had many amazing moments and well-defined milestones Indian elections entail organizing and supervising about 700 million voters in around 800,000 polling stations spread across widely varying geographic and climatic zones Polling stations are located in the towering Snow-clad Himalayan peaks the deserts of Rajasthan the vast Gangetic Plains the coastal regions further south and in the sparsely populated islands in the Indian Ocean The constitution makers of India had dared to dream They were visionaries who knew they had to create a workable mechanism that would reconcile the myriad and mind-boggling contradictions of the nation to create an awe-inspiring democracy Intense deliberation and the measured stoke of a pen created a neutral and independent body to conduct Manage and oversee the election process The Election Commission of India has an extraordinary international reputation In fact, I remember talking to the former Algerian Foreign Minister Laktab Rahimi when we were setting up the mechanisms in Iraq for the United Nations And his first thing is why are we going to any Western countries? The best election experts in the world are the Election Commission of India Let's go there That's the sort of reputation that the Indian Election Commission has acquired over the years and it's richly deserved The nation accords great respect to each vote and the Indian Election Commission goes to unimaginable lengths to record it in a unique experiment the Election Commission Introduced six mobile booths in the inaccessible areas of Bar Meir and Jaisalmeir in Rajasthan This was the first time that such booths would be criss-crossing the far-flung areas of the district The mobile booths were a huge success. In fact, in keeping with times Indian elections have gone completely high-tech 2004 saw the creative and pioneering use of GIS technology for electoral management in the troubled Naxalite area of Orissa. In the 2004 General Elections, there were 1351 candidates from six national parties 801 candidates from 36 state parties 898 candidates from officially registered parties and 2385 independent candidates The 2004 General Elections stand out in the history of election management in India, if not the whole world Indians saw the country-wide use of electronic voting machines for the first time 1.07 million EVMs were used in 700,000 polling stations Most election results were announced in less than a day The media are encouraged and provided with facilities to cover the election In fact, the media is the biggest watchdog and ally that the election commission has The history of India shows ample evidence of a deeply rooted democracy Today that route has blossomed and is here to spread its fragrance The mainstay of this democratic journey from fledgling to skilled lies in India's undying commitment to the electoral process