Panaji, Mar 19: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) today demanded that Chief Election Commission ''outsource'' election officers and observers from neighbouring states since people had ''lost'' confidence in the state machinery which had constantly been ''misused'' by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Interacting with media persons at the Congress house here, GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro said his party was sending a complaint to the CEC, so also the state Election Commissioner, seeking deputation of election officers from outside Goa to ensure free and fair elections to the two Lok Sabha seats. The CM, he alleged, had already started ''pressurising'' the bureaucracy to be present in his private meetings. Further, despite assurance in the assembly during the vote-on-account budget session recently, the chief minister continued the disbursement of cheques to the beneficiaries of the 'Dayanand social security scheme' through people other than the respective legislators in a bid to ''influence'' the electorate.
Taking exception to the appointment of certain retired officials as election personnel, the GPCC chief said this would not justify holding of free and fair polls as the chief minister continued to ''abuse'' the official machinery including the police, for electoral gains. The people including Sarpanchs and non-officials present in a meeting at Varka called by Chief Minister on March 12 were ready to file affidavits indicating ''abuse'' of authority and violation of code of conduct, Faleiro claimed.
All these incidents apart from earlier three episodes of violation of code of conduct were brought to the notice of the CEC and pointed in the direction that elections in Goa would not be free and fair. Bureau Report