With the three errant officials sent packing, the elections in Mumbai North-Central ought to be supervised by sober, dutiful officers just as the EC intended. Of course, the Industrial Development Bank of India has a wrecked guesthouse. But the EC has been presented with a bill for the damages and will no doubt pay up. End of story? Not quite.

Consider what might have been the fate of Mumbai North-Central if the errant IAS officers had not acted foolishly so early in the day and been detected and sent away? It is on the cards that the same arrogance and irresponsibility that led to the wrecking of the IDBI guesthouse would have emerged at the polls over some petty provocation.

What would their supervision have amounted toin that case? And could such people have ensured fairness and transparency in the process? The allegations against the three officers are drinking too much and throwing up all over the guest house, deliberately and spitefully ruining the carpet and furniture because some unspecified (but not difficult to imagine) ``demands'' were not satisfied. It is hard to believe these were IAS officers, the cream of the cream of India's administrators.

Even the best of people go out of control with one drink too many. But not on election duty, surely, not when they are on the job. The EC would be wise after this experience to vet carefully some of the candidates it is offered for tours of duty as central observers.

It may also be a good idea to ban alcohol throughout the period of election duty. It is not uncommon for usually sober, self-disciplined people to go on a binge when they are away from home. Away from the constraints of family and colleagues something seems to snap and trouble often follows. Mumbai withits fun-city image has seen the downfall of many.