Procedure allowed ballots to be linked to specific voters
PANAJI
The sweeping victory of the ruling BJP-backed panel in the Corporation of the City of Panaji elections has now come under judicial scrutiny as a civil suit filed in the North Goa District Court alleges that voter confidentiality was compromised during the March 11 polls and seeks that it be declared null and void.
The petition has been filed by lawyer Vishnu Naik, who contested as a candidate of the opposing Ami Panjekar panel. Two others have joined him in the suit. They argue that the numbering of counterfoils attached to ballot papers undermined the secrecy of the vote.
The case, filed earlier, was formally registered on April 8, and the Principal District and Sessions Court has issued notices to the respondents: the elected councillors, the State Election Commissioner, and the Returning Officer.
The petition contends that the procedure adopted allowed ballots to be linked to specific voters, violating a fundamental principle of free and fair elections.
“How can voter secrecy be maintained if a serial number is put on the counterfoil and the ballot paper is placed in the box for this assigned number?” Naik questioned.
The Panaji civic elections were held on March 11, with results declared on March 13. The panel backed by Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate secured a dominant 27-3 win, sweeping nearly all wards.
The petitioners maintain that such lapses strike at the heart of democratic practice and insist that the sanctity of the ballot must be preserved and breach of confidentiality renders the process suspect.
The North Goa District Court is expected to examine the claims in detail but whether its outcome could have any implications for the election result which gave an emphatic victory to the BJP and Babush-backed panel, is uncertain.
