Voting in 1970 : That was the day

Afsan Chowdhury writes for DOT : 
We were not sure if we were going to win but we felt more confident than ever in 1970 that things were going to be better than before. Everyone I knew were planning to vote for the AL though that might also be a fact for voters of Dhaka- Ramna seat. It was my first vote and I was excited.
The atmosphere was fun, festive and peaceful. No matter what the current EC and the Government officials say, it was a very different kind of election compared to this. Now if I say that it seems the EC of 1970 was significantly more able to do its job than almost all the post 1971 ECs, I might be accused as a pro-Pakistani so I am not going to say it. However, nobody talked of rigging or whatever because everyone seemed to be on the same side. The Chief EC was Justice Sattar who was the President of Bangladesh whom Gen Ershad toppled. He was a Supreme Court Judge.
The voting
The election campaigning was enthusiastic and I don’t remember any violence worth mentioning. There was some anxiety that anti-AL elements might disrupt the voting which basically meant Muslim League and Jamaat but they were small fries. As history show, the field and the crowd belonged to the AL led by Sk. Mujib.
The voting was really fun and our family living in Dilu Road walked to the booth near the Tongi Diversion Road. There were flags and buntings , nor sure saying what- but everyone was relaxed. I wonder if it was because we were so sure of winning.
The party volunteers met us and handed us ID cards and numbers and so on. My mother was intensely pro-Bangladesh and had asked everyone to come from our household to vote. And voting at that point of time meant AL to all. Anyone not voting AL was considered anti-autonomy. The issue was the economics and rights of the people and not which party had done what. In 1970 elections we voted as a people not as supporters of a party. This is never going to be ever possible now.
It was the collective signal from a people to a State centre which was repressive and brutal. I don’t think it was even a political vote. It was what is possibly a national vote. We voted, came out smiling and walked home to eat a vote feast. I wonder if people are going to do that or how many will. The atmosphere this year is so tense compared to what we experienced in 1970.
The results
At the end of the day we all settled down to listen to the counting in front of the TV. It had organized many programmes= all fun stuff- and entertainment was assured. The only channel was the government PTV and the format was basically having commentators and announcers-break a programme and announce the vote count as the results came in. .
We lived in a two storied building and in the upstairs TV room , we waited to watch history happen though I am sure we didn’t know that. Our mother had made tons of food to feed all of us –father and brothers, all grown up and hungry- and I remember the snacks making rounds. I think by 10 a.m. the trend was clear. It was going to be a great victory. My parents went to bed by midnight and we stayed on. I confess the votes were not the only attraction. I did want to have all the snacks.
By late midnight the victory had moved to a sweep and then to a deluge by early morning. Candidate after candidate were being washed away by the AL wave and we sat there with awe and joy. Soon the AL had not just swept East Pakistan but had become Pakistan’s majority party. Suddenly we were going to be in charge of Pakistan which seemed like ‘justice’ to us after all these years.
My father was sleeping when I went to his room to tell him of the results. He sat on his bed with disbelieving eyes hearing me. I just smiled and of all things in the world shook his hand. It would be the happiest political moment of my life.
The writer is a journalist, a media professional, a researcher, a social activist.