PANAJI
A day after urging the Election Commission of India to allow free and fair postal ballot voting procedure for 850 police personnel on poll duty in Uttar Pradesh, State Congress president Girish Chodankar on Saturday accused Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the State administration of trying to lure the police personnel with bribes to influence their vote.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Chodankar also alleged that the Chief Minister had a list of postal ballot voters and claimed that a police wireless message had been sent to the police personnel directing them to list their respective constituency and phone number.
"It appears that this is wholesale. There are efforts to influence the postal ballots. Why do they need phone numbers? The police department is headed by CM Sawant. How can he give instructions in Sankhali? We demand an investigation into this. This is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct," Chodankar said.
"This is a serious issue. We have already filed a complaint with ECI regarding the postal ballots. The government is putting (pressure) on its officials and servants. Today, the price of each ballot is Rs 10,000. The sanctity of the elections is being destroyed," the State Congress president said.
On Friday, Congress had alleged that 850 Goa Police personnel, who are currently on election duty in Uttar Pradesh, had not cast their votes in the recently held State assembly polls, and had demanded that the poll authorities facilitate postal ballots for them, to fulfil their right to vote.
Congress general secretary Sunil Kawthankar said that if the Election Commission of India had the financial wherewithal to spend money on advertising and conducting election-related innovation, they should also facilitate voting facilities for the India Reserve Battalion personnel who are currently on duty in the northern poll-bound state.
GPCC Vice President Sankalp Amonkar earlier this week had filed a complaint with the returning officer alleging that government officers were being pressurised to vote for the BJP through the Postal Ballots.
Amonkar alleged that a BJP candidate had been calling government employees to his residence and office to cast their votes for BJP in his presence.
