Warns ECI against acting on unverified or 'fake' objections during revision process
Goa Forward Party (GFP) General Secretary Prashant Naik and GFP Canacona Mandal President Datta (Pandurang) Gaonkar interact with Canacona SDM/Dy Collector Prataprao Gaonkar.
Accusing BJP of attempts to defranchise Catholic voters in Canacona, Goa Forward Party has warned ECI against any deletion of names of Indian Citizens.
Goa Forward Party (GFP) General Secretary and Spokesperson Prashant Naik was addressing a news conference in the presence of GFP Canacona Mandal President Datta (Pandurang) Gaonkar.
“I have a clear allegation that whatever complaints to delete names claiming they are absent and shifted elsewhere is done only and largely to defranchise Catholic voters. As of now I have figures of four booths of Canacona constituency like Agas, Maxem-Dapot, Pedem in Loliem –Polem village, Karashir-moll (Agonda), Chiplem (in Poinguinim), but I don’t have the details of Galgibaga, Sadolxem, and other areas of Agonda, and Canacona municipality, Ordhofond, Pasal, and other Catholic-dominated areas,” said Naik.
“This is the systematic plan throughout the country, in states like UP, West Bengal, Bihar, which is the modus operandi of BJP to remove minority voters from electoral rolls as a part of BJPs strategy to win the elections.”
“First and foremost, before issuing notice to electors, the electoral officer concerned has to verify whether the complaint is genuine or fake, especially when there is an incident, when a complainant himself claims that he has not signed the complaint.”
Naik said they have warned electoral officials on SIR duties that they will have to face the consequences if names of voters are deleted despite being present.
“They now claim that only notices are issued, but names won’t be cancelled. Then why are these notices in the first place” Why trouble innocent general electors to submit some document of the other,” asked Naik.
“Indian citizens living and working elsewhere in the country or across the world will not be allowed to have their names deleted from the electoral rolls. A person tends to go anywhere for job opportunities, but their roots, house, family is here and they tend to come back once every few years. The BJP has no business to demand deletion of their names from the electors list,” he added.
323 forms received to delete names from Canacona constituency voter list
CANACONA:
Amidst growing dissent by people over deletions of names from electoral rolls, Canacona SDM/Dy Collector Prataprao Gaonkar informed that 323 objections/complaints have been received for deletion of voters, while 198 forms have been submitted for addition of voters in Canacona constituency.
Responding to a Goa Forward Party delegation meeting him over concerns regarding deletion of names, Prataprao Gaonkar informed that the 323 deletion forms received pertains to objections on retaining voters names in electoral rolls, voters who have died or voters who have willingly filed for deletion of their name from the electoral rolls.
He clarified that these forms for cancellation of names were not only submitted BLAs, but by individuals as well through an online process.
“Let anyone submit the forms online. Photos of the complainant submitting the form and the photo against whom he/she has complained against is captured by the system. The ECI generates the notices and while one notice goes to the objector and another goes to the elector,” said Prataprao Gaonkar.
“In the absence of the elector, if a family members comes in person and informs that the elector in question is an Indian citizen and comes to Goa once every 2, 3, or 4 years, then that elector’s name cannot be deleted.”
“But in case the BLO in his submission states that that the elector has not come for 5 years and above, then that person's name will go for deletion. Besides, any person who has taken citizenship of another country, and given up Indian citizenship, his/her name will also go for deletion. To give a fair judgment is my job,” he told the GFP delegation comprising GFP General Secretary Prashant Naik and GFP Canacona Mandal President Datta (Pandurang) Gaonkar.
