MARGAO
Asserting that the Ponda bye-poll has been cancelled by a surgical strike by the undeclared alliance between the Election Commission of India and the BJP, Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai wondered how did the law on conduct of by-poll escape the attention of the Election Commission when the overenthusiastic ECI has systematically gone about deleting lakhs of voters across the country during the SIR process.
Sardesai further pointed out the people of Goa are closely watching the BJP leadership, whether the party will induct its Ponda bye-poll candidate Ritesh Naik in the Pramod Sawant Cabinet to keep alive former Minister late Ravi Naik’s legacy.
Speaking to the media on the High Court’s decision to cancel the Ponda bye-poll, he said the High Court has only upheld the laid down law on bye-polls. “Everyone knew what would the outcome of the petition when the proceedings were going before the High Court. People will now draw their own conclusions. They have got the chance to talk that the undeclared alliance between the ECI and BJP is responsible for the cancellation of the Ponda bye-poll”, he said.
He added: “The ECI is a big institution. When Ravi Naik died in October, the bye-poll for Ponda ought to have been held before February since the law is clear that the vacancy is filled up one year before the expiry of the Assembly term. How this provision escaped the attention of the ECI, which had overenthusiastically deleted names of lakhs of voters across the Country during the SIR process”.
To a question on inducting Ritesh Naik in the Cabinet, Sardesai said the BJP has made umpteen promises to the Ponda voters during the campaign, with many even giving indications that Ritesh would be inducted in the Cabinet to keep Ravi Naik’s legacy.
