PANAJI
The announcement of General Assembly Elections in Goa is believed to be imminent with the Election Commission of India expected to announce the schedule in the coming days.
Chief Electoral Officer of Goa Kunal has attended a meeting chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner of India on Tuesday where the Election Commission will seek reports from all the states going to the polls and the final schedule is expected to be drawn up.
The “Model Code of Conduct” immediately comes into effect no sooner the official announcement of the Election schedule takes place.
The movement comes even as the State machinery is increasingly putting in place strictures with the latest being a meeting with liquor dealers including wholesalers, retailers and instructing them to install CCTV cameras in their premises and instructions to submit daily report of the total sales conducted in a day.
Officials of the Election Commission have informed that the decision has been taken in view of the fact that alcohol is often misused by political parties to buy votes during the elections.
“The dealers be they bar owners, retailers wholesalers will have to be able to account for their sale of alcohol which will have to correspond to the CCTV footage,” sources in the election commission said.
Earlier the North and South Goa Collectors who are District Election Officers for their respective districts have already issued several orders including prohibiting the carrying of all type of arms, firearms, ammunition lethal weapons, in any public place, street road squares, thoroughfare, by lanes or in any open places “to ensure free, fair and peaceful conduct of ensuing General Assembly Elections, 2017.”
The State Election Office has also already begun monitoring the expenditure by political parties and ‘candidates’ in order that, if they cross the limits as prescribed by the ECI, the contesting candidate can be disqualified.
As on date as per the Rule 90 of the Conduct of Election Rules as amended in 2014 the contesting candidate in the State of Goa should not exceed the limit of Rs. 20-lakh. The Commission officials have already finalised the official rates for the various items that will be used by the political parties and the candidates.
The Commission had also earlier warned that there is a possibility that the Self Help Groups/NGOs could be made conduits by political parties or candidates for distribution of money and materials in cash or kind and ‘urged’ members of Self Help Groups under District Rural Development Agency, North and South Goa, not to get influenced.
Besides this, no sooner does the code of conduct come into effect several Election Commission circulars will also take effect including against defacement of property including government and public and misuse of public space, ban on the use of official vehiclesamong others.
