TEAM HERALD
NEW DELHI: Reacting to inadvertent scheduling of the polling date for Goa on Maundy Thursday and subsequent appeals and reactions from various sections, the Election Commission on Friday advanced the polling date for the Lok Sabha elections in the State to April 12, from earlier April 17 schedule.
In a press communiqué, the EC said the Commission had received representation for change of poll date “in view of Maundy Thursday which is a restricted holiday, having local importance.”
Public opinion among the influential minority Catholics over the April 17 Maundy Thursday polling date saw all quarters including political parties approaching the Election Commission and requested it to change the date.
Maundy Thursday is part of the Easter triduum and a day of obligation in the season of Lent.
The rescheduled polls will now take place on April 12, a Saturday, when only three seats of Assam and one each in Tripura and Sikkim are slated to go to the polls.
Archbishop Rev Felipe Neri Ferrao, had made a representation to the EC, stressing that the polling date would result in a serious conflict between the religious duties and the constitutional duties of many Catholics. And, this too more than 40% of the polling officers, who would be completely deprived from attending the obligatory religious services.
EC’s announcement of poll date in Goa drew lot of flak after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections beginning from April 7 till May 12.
Nominations, however, will start for the two seats in Goa as scheduled on March 19 and accepted up to March 26 while the scrutiny will be the next day and withdrawals allowed up to March 29.
The Commission also changed the polling date for Hazaribagh constituency in Jharkhand from April 10 to April 17, in view of the Ram Navami during which processions are taken out from April 8 to 10, the press note added.
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