MARGAO
As many as three original petitioners against the ward reservations on Friday made a fervent plea to the newly-appointed State Election Commissioner, W V Ramanmurthy for the simultaneous counting of votes of all the Municipal bodies, including municipalities going to the polls on March 20 and thereafter on one day.
The Goa Forward party also reminded the newly-appointed State Election Commissioner that he has not come to Goa for a pleasure jaunt, but has been appointed to head an Independent institution, in order to uphold the Constitution of India and the true spirit of democracy.
Addressing the media with the three petitioners, Sujay Lotlikar, Rumaldo Fernandes and Fausiya Sheikh, Goa Forward vice-president Durgadas Kamat requested the State Election Commissioner to have a glance at the “How India Votes’ book, saying page 940 clearly speaks about the bandwagon effect if the counting of votes is not taken up together.
He said the SEC should turn to the Election Commission of India or the ECI officers for advice or guidance if the new Commissioner has any doubts on vote counting. He further said the SEC should go to the numerous precedents set by the Election Commission of India, the recent being the counting of votes of the Karnataka MLC and Assembly by-poll elections held in 2020.
“Our Goa Forward President Vijai Sardesai had called on the new SEC and briefed him why the votes of all the 11 municipal bodies should be taken up simultaneously. We want to remind the new Commissioner that the SEC is an independent authority and should not act like puppets of government as had happened in the past,” he added.
Durgadas cautioned that the petitioners reserves the right to move the court in the event the SEC throws precedents and ECI’s Model Code of Conduct to the winds.
“We hope that the new SEC hailing from Hyderabad, has not come on a pleasure jaunt to Goa, but has taken up the responsibility to uphold the Constitution and the true spirit of democracy”, he said, adding ‘the SEC should save himself from embarrassment as the petitioners has kept the options open to move the court’.
