the goan I network
PORVORIM/PANAJI
The sarpanchas of Penha-de-Franca, Socorro and Salvador-do-Mundo on Saturday filed a complaint with the Porvorim police regarding the inclusion of about 820 migrants in the voter list of Porvorim constituency.
The sarpanchas Swapnil Chodankar (Penha-de-Franca), Sandeep Vazarkar (Socorro) and Sandeep Salgaonkar (Salvador-do-Mundo) submitted the police complaint in the presence of Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte.
Khaunte informed Porvorim Police Inspector Vishwesh Karpe that the process of registering the names of the people online in the voters list is in progress in Goa.
Taking advantage of this online registration process, names of around 820 residents of Mizoram, Manipur and Nepal, who are employed with casino companies in Goa and staying in rented houses/flats were registered in the voter list of Porvorim constituency, he said.
Khaunte claimed that the names had been registered under a single IP address by the management of a casino company.
He had a registered a formal complaint with the election commissioner on March 28 and today in this regard.
“This is a very serious issue. The casino company has taken number of houses/flats on rental basis under lease agreements in Penha-de-Franca, Socorro and Salvador-do-Mundo areas and their employees are staying in these houses.” Khaunte alleged that these non-Goans do not have local residence proof as they live on rent in the state. The minister has named one Srinivas Naik, where these North Easterners live as being responsible for the alleged fraudulent registration as voters.
“If these people are registering fraudulently, then where is the question of Goy and Goykarponn?” questioned Khaunte.
Khaunte further alleged that Naik has tried to form a syndicate, however, he is not aware of the exact reason for forming such a syndicate and it seems like some kind of a conspiracy.
The Porvorim MLA claimed that the registration of 820 people from the North East is bogus and Naik is interfering in the democratic process.
“I have asked the CEO to order an investigation in the matter,” Kahunte said.
The minister alleged that these residents of Manipur and Mizoram have not cancelled their names from the voter roles in their home state and read out a few names that were fraudulently registered in the electoral roles.
“This is an evident and a serious irregularity which will materially affect the result of the Lok Sabha elections of 2019,” Khaunte added.
Khaunte said that the CEO has promised to look into the case in the following week.
