Cong to challenge CEC decision to ban poster, banners in Goa polls

Panaji, May 12 (UNI) The Congress today said it will challenge the ''unsavoury'' decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) to ban display of posters, banners and other campaign material for the June 2 elections to the Goa Legislative Asembly.

''If necessary, we will file a petition in the Goa bench of the Mumbai High Court here, seeking relief on the strength of the interim order issued on August 3, 2004 in a similar case in Mumbai High Court,'' Congress sources said.

Interacting with mediapersons here at the party headquarters, noted Supreme Court advocate and AICC Secretary Manish Tewari and his party associates Sidharth Patil and Shntaram Naik said the party would seek court relief only when the CEC fails to concede its demand.

The party leadership has scheduled to call on the Chief Election Commissioner Gopalaswami in Delhi on Monday and Election Commissioner Dr Y Quereshi during his visit here in Goa and impress upon them the need for campaigning through use of posters and banners to spread the party message among voters.

A three-member delegation, including Maharashtra minister of state for education, Suresh Shetty called on the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa Ramesh Negi and urged him to review the decision before it sent wrong signal to the outside world that India had restricted electoral freedom.

UNI