Team Herald
PANJIM: Villagers of St Estevam on Wednesday wrote to the Director of Panchayats alleging there have been deliberate attempts to shift houses in the delimitation done for the Panchayat elections, and threatened to boycott the polls if this is not rectified
Speaking to Herald, Advocate Chiara Gomes said, “We have found illegalities in the delimitation of wards done for the Panchayat elections. The villagers gathered at the Panchayat to question the secretary and he confessed that the delimitation process was not done by him and the process of shifting houses was done by panch members,” Gomes said.
The villagers found that the officers entrusted with the process of delimitation and officers under the influence of some person with vested interest had changed the geographical boundaries of the existing wards for the benefit of a few people interested in contesting the elections.
“The houses have been deliberately interchanged and shifted from one ward to another by way of pick and choose system,” the villagers said.
It was revealed that the delimitation file was submitted by the Secretary St Estevam to the concerned offices without it being shown to the villagers.
The villagers demanded that these changes be rectified as was done at the 2012 elections. They have also threatened to boycott the elections if the issue is not rectified.
