TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and other political parties have reacted strongly or made representations to the Election Commission on the Lok Sabha poll date for Goa which coincides with Maundy Thursday.
“The BJP has asked for the date of polling to be postponed in order that the minority community should not be inconvenienced,” BJP state party president Vinay Tendulkar said.
Congress MP Shantaram Naik and GPCC president John Fernandes have reacted to the polling date with the Congress president saying that the party ahs already made a representation to the Election Commission. Fernandes said that he has already raised a complaint through the All India Congress Committee AICC.
However, there was no word from the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman which failed to come up with a statement on the matter even till late evening and it was left to local political parties and leading civil society activists to take up the issue on behalf of the community.
The state unit of the Nationalist Congress Party Regional parties Goa Vikas Party too and Goa Su-raj Party and activists too joined in the chorus to change the date.
“The voting in Goa falls on a religious day. I have therefore requested EC to change the date,” GVPs Francisco Mickky Pacheco told a section of reporters in the press room at Goa Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
“I believe it has been an unintentional error by the ECI. The Christian community makes up a total voter-base of 29 per cent in Goa, which is a sizable number. More importantly, the Christian Community is also a very active voting community,” Savio Rodrigues of the Goa Su-raj party said adding they have petitioned the EC to reschedule the election date.
“I would like to bring to your kind notice that April 17 is Maundy Thursday, which is sacred to the Christian Community as Christians around the world attend church service which normally begins at 3pm and goes on up to 6pm… We request you to please inform the Chief Election Commissioner and kindly have the date altered,” the NCP said.
Among the first to raise his voice was Activist Aires Rodrigues who called the Election Commission office and sought to know how the coincidence came about. He later wrote to the Election Commission seeking that the dates be changed.
