CEO warns against bribing postal ballot voters in State

The Chief Electoral Officer has cautioned representatives of political parties about ‘rumours’ circulating that the political parties and candidates are approaching holders of postal ballots and bribing such holders in their favour thus undermining the secrecy of the voting process.

the goan I network | FEBRUARY 17, 2017, 05:12 AM IST

PANAJI
 
However, Chief Electoral Officer Kunal has cautioned representative of political parties against such practises and urged them to bring it 
to the notice of the commission.   
“Strict action will be initiated under the law against anyone offering [a] bribe or exerting pressure or anyone accepting or demanding [a] bribe,” Additional Chief Electoral Officer Narayan Navti said in a statement.   
The Election Commission has reiterated that its toll free number 1950 as well as its email address ceo_goa@eci.gov.in continues to be active and will act on complaints received in this regard.   
Allegations were made by several people including representatives of political parties and candidates that government servants who have been issued postal ballot papers have been pressurised by some of the candidates to caste votes in their favour or that such voters are alleged to have been purchased for hefty sums from persons who have been issued postal ballots.   
Government servants and those on duty have been given  up to 8 am on March 11, to submit their votes to the concerned returning officer which gives them a deciding period of more than a month.   
The CEO Kunal also quashed rumors that the CEO’s office was reducing the time saying that no such orders have been issued. There are more than 17,000 postal ballots that are being issued to various govt servants who were on polling duty on the day of voting. These include police as well as election officials, teachers and the like.   

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