Sunday, 06 March 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
In what can be termed as an invitation to the independents that can emerge victorious on March 10, the day of counting of votes, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal has said that they (independents) know the dubious past record of Bharatiya Janata Party in dealing with the independents. Godiyal expressed confidence that no independent candidate would go with the BJP after the declaration of the results. Interacting with the media persons at Congress Bhawan here on Saturday, the PCC president said that the Congress party and its workers are alert on any mischief the BJP can make after the declaration of the results. In response to a question on the possible maneuvers of the BJP and the speculations that the ruling party can try to engineer a split in the Congress after the elections, Godiyal ruled out such a possibility but added that the party is alert. He said that such speculations are being raised in the media in view of the track record of the BJP. On the independents, the PCC president said that it is normal for both the BJP and Congress to get in touch with them.
Reaffirming the apprehensions of the Congress party that the postal ballots issued for the armed forces personnel can be misused by the BJP, Godiyal said that the party has conveyed its concern on the issue to the Election Commission (EC). He said that in his constituency Srinagar there are 2021 postal ballots of service voters and the very first name in the list is of a person who has retired and who at present is Congress party worker. “There are at least 300 to 400 such names in the list of service postal ballots who either have retired, are on leave or have died. If the vote of such a person is cast through the postal ballot then such a vote is surely bogus. We have demanded that if the votes of such voters are cast then disciplinary action should be taken against the officer who has verified such a postal ballot,’’ he said.
