MARGAO
The State electoral office has been directed by the Election Commission to immediately commence preparations for the Assembly elections and there are strong indications that the polls could be held around mid-January, 2017.
Sources in the know said that Goa Chief Electoral Officer N S Navti and his officials, who just returned to the State after a two-day meeting with the Election Commission in the national capital, have been told to start preparations for the Assembly election.
Though the Assembly poll is scheduled around February next year, sources said the possibility of the Election Commission holding the Goa election around mid-January has not been ruled out.
“Nothing has been finalised as yet as far as the dates of the Goa Assembly election are concerned. The EC was initially contemplating to hold election for the Uttarakand Assembly around mid-January. We in Goa are readying ourselves so that we are not caught off guard if the EC decides to hold the State Assembly poll in mid-January,” an official said.
Assembly elections in Punjab are also due in January 2017 and it appears that a decision has been taken to hold simultaneous polls in both the States. With the Aam Aadmi Party reportedly gaining ground in Punjab, simultaneous polls will pre-empt it from using its gains in Punjab to influence the outcome in Goa.
The State electoral office will immediately take up the work of updating the electoral roll finalised on January 1, 2016. The summary revision roll is expected to be ready by next month after addition and deletion of names based on the applications received by the election offices in the last seven months.
Secondly, election training programmes for senior-level officials, including the district collectors, deputy collectors, booth level officers and other officers is expected to be held around August, before training is imparted for the polling station staff around October.
Since Goa has sufficient number of electronic voting machines (EVMs) to meet the election requirement, the question of procuring the EVMs from other states is ruled out. With the preparations set to pick up pace in the coming weeks, designated officers will carry out a check of the EVM batteries.
