Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar in an email complaint letter to the Chief Election Commissioner of India has cited several corrupt practices and offences related to the election process with regards to voting through postal ballots in the State.
In his complaint to the constitutional body, Chodankar cited several instances of election code violation by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“The voting through postal ballot for the voters like government officers on election duty, police personnel, etc, who are entitled to vote through postal ballot is still in progress. It is widely spoken across the State of Goa that the candidates of ruling BJP had indulged in large scale election-related corrupt malpractices and had distributed huge sum of money to the voters in an attempt to influence them. After, the voting date, the State government machinery and candidates of the ruling party have indulged in illegal acts of threatening and intimidating the voters who are supposed to cast their votes through postal ballots. The government officials are being coerced to cast their votes in particular manner in favour of the ruling party’s candidates,” he alleged.
The GPCC has already filed complaints dated February 15 and February 16 with the Chief Electoral Officer and other responsible officers involved in the election process, however, no action has been has been initiated yet.
Chodankar said, “It is apparent that the ruling party having realised the imminent defeat in the election has resorted to all the possible illegalities and corrupt practices in a brazen manner with complete disrespect to rule of law. All this is happening solely because the Election Commission officials in the State of Goa are reluctant to initiate any action against such illegalities despite complaints in this regard,” he claimed.
The complainant further said that a wireless message in the Police Department seeking information about those who didn’t vote has also led to breach of law.
“The aforesaid acts by which the Government is using the State machinery to threaten and influence the voters who are supposed to cast their votes through postal ballots clearly amounts to corrupt practices and offences related to election as provided under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code 1860 and The Representation of People’s Act, 1951,” he said calling for an inquiry into the alleged illegal activities and demanding strict action against the code violators.
