GFP chief requests govt to hold municipal elections together

Team Herald

MARGAO: Goa Forward Party (GFP) President Vijai Sardesai on Saturday requested the State government to declare all the municipal election results simultaneously or have the polls of all the 10 municipal councils and Corporation of The City of Panaji together to avoid influencing the elections of the five municipalities which would be held later. 

He said that he would write to the State government and the State Election Commission with this demand. Vijai warned that if the government doesn’t accede to the request he would approach the court or higher appellate body for relief. 

He said the government should remember that it is under the scanner of the Supreme Court. 

“As six municipal elections will be held first and five later, this makes it a phased election. The results of the first six elections and the trend of voting can have a ‘bandwagon’ effect on the voting of the second phase, a word that is mentioned in the book ‘How India Votes’ which the Election Commission of India says is their Holy book,” Vijai said. 

“I will write to the State Election Commission which has become an inward outward office presently requesting to either hold all elections together or declared the results of the first phase of the six elections at once after the polling of the five reprimanded elections is completed,” he demanded. Vijai said, “This will apply to all the elections including the ZP elections.” 

“If the government doesn’t accede to our request it will prove that the BJP government wants to bulldoze its way and not maintain a level playing ground for a free and fair election. We will approach the Election Commission of India or any higher appellate authority to get relief,” he warned.

Meanwhile, criticising Congress President Girish Chodankar, Vijai said, “Somebody who is a guided missile of the BJP will make a statement like this. Don’t ask about the prospects of a united opposition to a person, who is holding a temporary charge.”  

“We are an independent political party and need no one to school us to join Congress or not,” Vijai said and alleged that the ones who are making statements are getting a stipend from the BJP. 

He said, “It’s a message to the ‘other’ leadership which is in talks with me. I am talking to the Congress and let the Goa observers say that they are not talking to us. Let them say that they are not talking to us and they will get the result in these municipal elections itself.” 

On the alliance for the Margao Municipal Council elections, Vijai said, “Let Digambar say there is no alliance. There is a lot of scope and the movie is not yet over.”