Campaign for June 2 Goa polls ends peacefully

Panaji, May 31 (UNI) Campaigning by 202 contestants for the June 2 elections to the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly ended this evening on a peaceful note.

''It was a clean and orderly campaign, free of any noise or garbage, beginning a new chapter in this beautiful Goa,'' said Ramesh Negi, the state chief electoral officer.

Thanking the parties and candidates, besides the public, for cooperating with the Election Commission for successful completion of the first phase of elections, Mr Negi said, the authorities initiated a ''naka bandi'' to check money power till polling ends on June 2.

Counting of votes will be held on June 5 as the fifth legislative assembly and the new ministry has to be consituted before June 11.

The authorities have pressed into service 23 companies of Central paramilitry forces, besides seven companies of the Goa battalions, he said, adding that the force deployed for this year's elections is double the 2002 polls.

For the first time, the jawans of Central paramilitary forces would be deployed at each of the polling booths, even as four companies were set apart as a strikng force for emergencies, if any.

As many as 266 booths have been identified as sensitive and hypersensitive, Mr Negi said.

Twenty-five observers, besides deputy election commissioner from Delhi J P Prakash, and Nalini Netto and Vaman Pater, have been posted as special observers to monitor the polls.

The authorities have booked 524 cases under various election offences including 21 cognizable and 178 non-to gnizable cases.

There are 10,10,207 voters, including 5,05,625 men, in Goa, he said adding that the chances of missing voters casting votes does not arise as the authorities will do videographing of the booths.

The persons who have not got the EPIC cards will be allowed to vote if they carry 13 different valid documents of proof, he said.

Adding that special queues have been arranged for the senior citizens and the physically handicapped.

The main battle in the June 2 elections is between the ruling Congress-NCP coalition and the BJP opposition with all senior party leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rajnath Singh, indulged in claims and counter-claims that they can provide the people with a stable and progressive governments.

(EDs: Here pick up suitably from BY-2) UNI