Goemkarponn Desk
CANACONA: Discontent loomed large amongst the BJP Karyakartas in Canacona during the candidate voting exercise undertaken to choose Party’s candidate for the assembly seat for February polls.
While the tussle for prized BJP ticket in Canacona heated up, the saffron leadership in their understanding to break the ice have undertaken to conduct a polling exercise to know the Karyakartas mood, and accordingly have invited both ticket claimants (Canacona BJP MLA Isidore Fernandes and BJP State Vice-president Ramesh Tawadkar) along with their supporting karyakartas to participate in the voting process at Margao.
The criteria of voting rights amongst Karyakartas are all executive members of the respective block committees in Canacona constituency, besides two booth leaders in the 59 polling booths of Canacona.
It is learned that most of the Karyakartas reached the venue, also including a busload of Karyakartas from certain parts of the Canacona constituency.
Partys central poll observers C T Ravi and G. Kishan Reddy in the presence of BJP’s Goa State Incharge Satish Dhond, BJP State Secretary Sarvanand Bhagat while addressing the Karyakartas before voting sought the presence of all the eligible voters from respective blocks and Booth-level leaders.
However, on noticing the presence of more Karyakartas who were neither representing Blocks and Booths, said, the leadership doesn’t blame the Karyakartas presence but it is not right on the part of the leader whoever brought them in the Hall.
Surprisingly for eligible voters, voting slips (blank and unnumbered paper pieces) were issued to all the Karyakartas present in the Hall with guidance to write the name of their candidate ‘Choice’ for the Canacona BJP ticket. ‘Except for we two, you can write the name of any leader whom you recommend to contest on BJP ticket for Canacona assembly seat’, one of the Party’s Central minister told the gathering before the commencement of the voting exercise, informed a reliable source.
However, no leadership took the dissent brewing amongst the eligible voters for also issuing credentials/voting slips to non-eligible karyakartas, who apparently outnumbered the eligible voters. ‘ “This is a farce exercise party leadership is doing to hoodwink the grassroots karyakartas. No numbering of ballot papers, nor proper adherence to allow only eligible voters to participate in the process is a clear indication of having an eyewash exercise”. “It is even not known how many are issued with voting slips and how have voted, and even nowhere it was announced the number of votes has been cast in the exercise”, alleged a concerned karyakarta.
A ballot box is later handed over to the Party’s Central Observer C T Ravi in the presence of Art and Culture Minister Kishan Reddy by Canacona BJP Block President Nanadip Bhagat, while Satish Dhond thanked party’ Karyakartas for participation. BJP state secretary Sarvanand Bhagat was also present on the dais.
‘This is a futile exercise taken up by the party leadership to compel Karyakartas to work for the candidate to be imposed by the party against the mood and wishes of ground-workers, as almost 95% of karyakartas are openly backing, rallying, and even participating in the elections’ campaign already launched by sitting MLA Isidore Fernandes”, informed one of the Karyakarta after returning back from voting exercise.