Team Herald
PANJIM: Congress on Friday demanded postal ballot for Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) deployed in Uttar Pradesh elections.
In a letter to the Chief Electoral Office (CEO), Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) general secretary Sunil Kawthankar said that nearly 850 Goa police personnel deployed in Uttar Pradesh for ongoing elections could not vote during Goa Assembly polls held on February 14. Also due to their sudden posting, they were unable to cast postal ballots. In such situations, it must be the responsibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that these personnel are not denied their right to franchise.
Stating that the ECI had spent lakhs of rupees on newspaper, TV and outdoor advertisements and also on pink booths and other attractions to get people to vote, it is unlikely the ECI does not have resources to ensure that all 850 police personnel get to vote and submit their postal ballot in a secure manner without any scope for tampering.
On behalf of Congress, Kawthankar has urged the ECI to take necessary steps to ensure that all the Goa police personnel in UP exercise their franchise through postal ballot. Since the ECI has sent them from Goa to UP, it is their responsibility to enable or deny them the right to vote.
