The office of the Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Tuesday issued a public notice stating that it had been brought to its notice that “some political functionaries are trying to approach voters on election duty and trying to exert undue influence on them to vote in their favour.” The CEO’s notice stated “all concerned are warned that strict action will be taken against the violators if, at any point in time, any person is found influencing and/or intimidating any voter. Similarly, if any voter demands any gratification for voting through a postal ballot, strict action under the law and departmental action will be initiated.” The public notice comes days after the Congress alleged that BJP leaders were trying to influence government employees to cast their votes through postal ballots in favour of the saffron party. On February 20, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar wrote in a letter to CEO Kunal, “After the voting date, the state government machinery and candidates of the ruling party have indulged in illegal acts of threatening and intimidating the voters who are supposed to cast their votes through postal ballots.” Congress general secretary Sunil Kawthankar had on February 15 filed a complaint about alleged intimidation of government employees to cast their votes through postal ballots in favour of the BJP. On February 16, the Congress candidate from the Mormugao seat Sankalp Amonkar had filed a similar complaint to the returning officer in the assembly constituency. After the complaints were received, the CEO had last week given directions to both the collectors-cum-district election officers of North and South Goa to inquire into the allegations made by the Congress. The CEO’s public notice stated that as per the Representation of the People Act, 1951, secrecy of voting cannot be violated. The postal ballot system is foolproof, and the voters’ identity cannot be revealed from the postal ballots, the public notice added.
