MARGAO
As the military men lined up at the Ghantamorod polling booth since Sunday morning, some of the candidates also cried foul after they claimed that they were not allowed to meet the voters inside the military camp. Instead, they claimed that they were told to leave the voters slip, manifesto and the symbols with the camp in-charge, promising to convey their manifesto to the voters inside.
When a group of military men first turned up at the polling station, which housed the polling booths for ward Numbers 5, 6 & 7, candidates and their supporters initially believed that only a few voters from the camp would cast their vote on ground that the recruits are prone for transfers. Their assumption, however, was misplaced when there was a sudden rush of the military men queuing up at the polling booth after noon. In the space of an hour and half, between 1 pm to 2.30 pm, there was a heavy rush of military voters led by their superiors at the polling booths.
The turnout of the military people made some candidates jittery. Candidate Pooja Naik from Ward No 5, pointed out that they were not allowed to meet the military voters. “When we went with the voter slips and symbols, the in-charge told us that they would convey the same to the voters. We really do not know how the military men will vote when they don’t even know the candidates’, she rued.
Walter Dias, contesting from Ward No 6 echoed similar sentiments. He said he was upset with the large turnout of military men.
“They did not allow candidates to interact with the voters inside the camp. These are panchayat elections and we do not know how and for whom they will vote”. Walter said.
Incidentally, Walter claimed that the military men came to cast their vote when ex-Navelim MLA Avertano Furtado appeared on the scene. “This cannot just be a coincidence. There’s something more to it. It is clear that they must have cast their vote in favour of candidates supported by the ex-MLA”, Walter said. His brother and former Aquem-Baixo Sarpanch Agnelo Dias also echoed similar sentiments.
Avertano, however, rubbished the allegation. “I was on a round at the booths in Navelim. It might be just a coincidence that I reached the booth when the military people came to cast their vote”, Avertano said. Demanding to know how he could pull the strings inside the camp when he is not even an MLA, he said “may be those who are in power are involved”.
Incidentally, candidate Siddesh Bhagat, from ward No 6, pointed out that military people have a right to vote. “I had left my manifesto with the military camp in-charge. And I am hoping for the best”, he added.
Around 642 voters, mostly recruits, from the Ghantamorod military camp were registered on the electoral roll on the eve of the February 4 Assembly election. These voters were later equally divided in the three wards of 5, 6 & 7 of Aquem-Baixo panchayat.
