MAPUSA
Expressing dissatisfaction at the conduct of the municipal election, leader of Shree Bodgeshwar Development Front, Sanjay Barde informed that he has written to the Returning Officer to allow polling agents into the counting hall on Monday.
“We want the polling agents to be allowed into the counting hall as they were the ones who were witness to sealing of ballot boxes at the end of the election on Friday. They will be able to identify any tampering of the ballot boxes,” Barde said.
The Shree Bodgeshwar Development Front leader was addressing a news conference in Mapusa on Sunday.
Speaking further, Barde alleged that he had doubts that the BJP karyakartas along with the election officials may have played some mischief in ward 14.
Slamming the lax security at the strong room where the ballot boxes have been stored, he said only two policemen were stationed at the entrance to the boxing hall in Peddem sports complex which led to the counting hall and the strong room.
“There are no CCTV cameras at the entrance of the boxing hall. Secondly, we found several election-related papers pertaining to ward 14 strewn on the ground outside the hall. All these incidents raise doubts in our minds,” he said.
He further slammed the government for imposing night curfew on the day when electioneering ended.
“It’s so obvious that the government wanted to restrict the movement of the opposition on the two nights preceding the election day while the BJP men could move around in the dead of the night striking deals with gullible voters,” Barde alleged.
He also said that the polling officials acted in a highhanded manner in at least four wards in Khorlim at the fag end of the polling on the election day.
