MARGAO, OCT 18
In an interesting development, government employees drafted for election duty for the ensuing municipal polls may have to go without exercising their franchise.
For, election officials have suddenly realised that the Goa Municipal Election Rules, 1969 has no provision for postal ballot facility for the employees engaged for election duty.
Polling officials shortlisted by the election authorities for election duty have feared that hundreds, if not thousands, of polling staff will be denied the right to vote if the State Election Commission fails to come out with a solution to the imbroglio.
A polling official told Herald that the staff deputed for election duty cannot be denied the voting rights. “The State Election Commission should make arrangements to provide postal ballot facility for the staff deputed for election duty”, demanded a polling official.
Herald understands that the matter was taken by some polling officials with the Returning Officers and election authorities, requesting for a mechanism wherein their constitutional right to cast vote is protected.
When Herald contacted the Secretary to the State Election Commission, S Parab, he admitted that there is no provision the Goa Municipal Election Rules which provides for postal ballot facility for the staff drafted for civic polls.
Parab, however, hastened to add that the State Election Commissioner is seized of the matter and necessary arrangements can be worked out to overcome the problem. “The State Election Commission will call a meeting with the Returning Officers to discuss amongst other things, this issue. The State Election Commissioner has the power to issue an order empowering postal ballot facility for the government employees drafted for election duty”, Parab added.
Replying to a question, Parab said “may be, the provision for postal ballot was not provided for in the Municipal Election Rules taking into account that employees working in a particular town hail from the same locality”.
Incidentally, sources in the know said that a similar problem had cropped in the 2005 municipal polls and the issue was resolved by allowing the polling staff to take a break to cast their ballot if residing in the same area.
But, senior officials maintained that this stop gap arrangement will not work if the polling officials drafted for duty in Margao, Vasco or Cuncolim hail from the hinterland talukas of the State.
