MARGAO: The Aam Aadmi Party Goa desk has said that the State Election Commission (SEC) role in the Zilla Panchayat elections is highly suspicious.
They have written to the Commission to make a statement on who exactly is conducting election, BJP or SEC. The AAP Convenor Elvis Gomes criticised the statement of BJP President Sadanand Tanawade on “non A/C polling booths”. AAP has also complained that other then BJP all are being denied permission to hold public meetings.
“The BJP President Sadanand Tanawade is reported to have made a statement at a press conference that the polling booths for the Zilla Panchayat elections being non AC are safe for conduct of the polls. While we know that the BJP president is neither a doctor or any authority on epidemiology, nor the government, we demand to know whether the BJP itself is conducting the elections contrary to law that prescribes that the SEC does,” said AAP Convenor Gomes.
The AAP says that the statement casts a doubt whether there was any move to postpone the elections in view of the invocation of the Epidemic Act and banning of public gatherings including closure of schools and other educational institutions to safeguard public health.
“On Saturday, the returning officers in Salcete reportedly informed our office that public meetings for campaigning are also being denied permissions although the BJP is holding them at will as is seen in the media with the Chief Minister himself addressing one such meeting. In the absence of any briefing by the SEC, it gives an impression that the BJP has taken it upon themselves to steer the course of conduct of elections in an atmosphere of uncertainty created by the government’s actions to combat the corona virus,” said Elvis Gomes.
Meanwhile, members of the Carpenters Association of Goa led by Joaquim Furtado joined the AAP in the presence of the association’s office bearers.
They were welcomed by State Convenor Elvis Gomes.
Speaking to media, Furtado said that the association was pleased that AAP has selected a young social worker Hanzel Fernandes to contest ZP elections from Benaulim Constituency.
