The Goa Forward Party (GFP) has formally demanded disciplinary action against election officials and a police inspector in Canacona for abruptly stopping a party public meeting in Poinguinim. The party has also called for the immediate transfer of the officials involved, alleging a blatant disregard for the election model code of conduct.
GFP Delegation Meets Election Commission
A delegation of GFP functionaries, led by the party's vice-president Dilip Prabhudesai, met with officials of the State Election Commission to lodge a formal complaint. The party's primary demands included the transfer of the local officials and action against the Canacona Police Inspector (PI).
"We have asked for the immediate transfer of the officials as they are locals, and action against the PI," stated Prabhudesai. He further revealed, "We have also requested the call records of the PI to be checked to find out which politician called him. The election commissioner said he will do this within 48 hours."
Confusion Over Permissions and SOPs
Prabhudesai attributed the incident to a clear lack of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) election campaign, which he claims creates confusion. Party functionaries argued that when permission is obtained to hold a meeting in a hall, separate sound permission is unnecessary.
The police had halted the public gathering on the grounds that the GFP had not secured permission to use a sound system. Countering this, Prabhudesai clarified, "Under the model code of conduct, there is no provision to take permissions for any kind of meeting. The instructions say the police and other authorities have to be informed about the date, time, and venue of the meeting."
He accused the local authorities of ignorance, stating, "These officers at Canacona, the returning officer, the police inspector, and deputy collector don't know about the code of conduct."
CEO Sanjay Goel Clarifies 'OCI' Remark
In a separate but related development, Goa's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjay Goel issued a clarification on Monday. He stated that he had mistakenly used the term "OCI" (Overseas Citizen of India) instead of "overseas voters" during a press briefing on Sunday regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Goel confirmed that booth-level officers have identified 88 overseas electors in Goa. These individuals are Indian citizens living abroad and are eligible to vote. The Election Commission has facilitated an online process for them to submit their enumeration forms.
The twin developments highlight the procedural challenges and clarifications emerging as Goa prepares for its electoral processes, with parties vigilant about the implementation of the model code of conduct.
