TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Candidates contesting the ensuing Lok Sabha polls in Goa will get to spend an enhanced amount of upto Rs 54 lakh as against the earlier Rs 22 lakh, disclosed the chief electoral officer during a media briefing on Wednesday.
The enhancement by more than 50 per cent in campaign expenditure this time comes in the wake of appeals from political parties across the country to enhance polling expenditure of candidates.
In case of Goa the amount has been enhanced to Rs 54 lakh. The office of the chief electoral officer will, however, be keeping a tight vigil on campaigning through its observers, two each in the north and south Goa, as also its flying squads.
Control rooms 1950 have already been set up and complaints on violation of the model code of conduct have to be routed through the same.
The Goa election office has already identified seven sensitive polling stations in north Goa and 10 in the south.
Chief Electoral Officer (Goa) Keshav Chandra has called upon government and individuals to reply to complaints filed against them for violating the model code of conduct.
The CEO confirmed that he had received three complaints already, two from the Congress party and one from a lawyer. In one of the complaints, the chief secretary of Goa has been asked to submit his say over a tweet that the investment and industrial policy will be out shortly and that 50,000 jobs will be offered to the unemployed.
A complaint has also been filed against the chief minister for alleged violating the model code of conduct by the Congress party.
Likewise replies have also been sought from two persons attached to the chief minister’s office against whom complaints have been filed for allegedly campaigning for the BJP through Facebook.
The CEO’s office has also sought comments from the chairman and managing director of the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) announcing plans to open new football stadia in the state when the election code is in force.
Replies have been sought from Dr Rufino Monteiro and Elvis Gomes in this matter.
Chandra said that seven days time is given to the concerned parties to reply.
“In case of failure to comply, the matter will be referred to the Election Commission of India for further action,” he said.
