PANAJI
Nearly Rs 1.5 crore of public funds spent on election preparations went down the drain after the Bombay High Court cancelled the Ponda Assembly by-election just hours before polling, in an unprecedented move that sent shockwaves across Goa’s political and administrative circles.
The High Court on Wednesday restrained the Election Commission of India (ECI) from proceeding with the April 9 by-poll, even as the entire election machinery had already been deployed on the ground.
The by-poll was necessitated following the demise of former minister Ravi Naik in October last year. However, the court held that the ECI’s March 16 notification announcing the election was “arbitrary” and in violation of provisions under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
According to sources in the South District Election Office, the State incurred a tentative expenditure of around Rs 1.5 crore on poll preparations. The funds were utilised for staff remuneration, procurement of election materials, hiring of vehicles, videography, setting up strong rooms with security measures, and creation of infrastructure across all 45 polling booths in Ponda, including ramps and toilets.
“This is a tentative figure. The final expenditure may be higher once all bills are accounted for,” sources said.
The court observed that the notification contravened proviso 151A(a) of the Representation of the People Act, which exempts the Commission from conducting elections if the remaining tenure of the legislator is less than one year.
The ECI had urged the court to stay its order for two weeks, citing that the election process was already underway, with 171 voters having cast their votes through postal ballots. The postal voting process commenced from March 29, covering senior citizens above 80 years, persons with disabilities, and election duty staff.
However, the bench declined the plea, stating that once the notification itself was found untenable in law, there was no ground to stay the order. Following the judgment, the ECI declared the entire election process undertaken so far as null and void.
The abrupt cancellation has triggered a major political storm in the State. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party expressed shock, the Opposition alleged a conspiracy involving the ruling dispensation and the election authorities.
