the goan I network
MARGAO
When The Goan contacted South Goa district electoral officer, Swapnil Naik to shed light on the number of polling personnel, who are yet to return their postal ballots, he put the number to 1600 poll employees. Of the total 9,121 postal ballots issued by the election authorities to the poll officials on duty, around 1600 personnel are yet to return the postal ballots till date.
The District electoral officer, however, said the employees have time till the day of counting when they can return the postal ballots two hours before counting.
Though the district collector could not provide break up of the postal ballots from the 21 Assembly constituencies that are yet to be returned back till date, he said Madkai constituency had the highest number of poll employees who were given the postal ballot facility, around 800-odd.
The postal ballots had kicked up a row of sorts after the Chief Electoral officer held a day-long special camp for the polling personnel to return their postal ballots at the office of the respective Returning Officers last month. The move had come under strong objection from the opposition political parties and individual candidates, including former Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat and Goa Forward party Velim candidate, Anthony Rodrigues, who demanded scrapping of the special camp.
