Ramesh Verma, Goa’s Chief Electoral Officer said that efforts have been put in the border areas and items worth a total of Rs 12.89 crores have been seized till now, ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
“From the day of the announcement of the elections on March 16 till now, we have already seized items worth Rs 12.89 crore. The seized items include narcotics, drugs, cash, and liquor. Similar kinds of cases come to light daily. We follow SOPs issued by the Election Commission of India to deal with such cases,” Verma said.
He also stated that they are actively working to communicate to the local population that they can have confidence in their local team and that the upcoming elections will be conducted with integrity and fairness. He stressed that conducting the elections presents its own set of difficulties. “We are taking security measures. We are continuously working with the police department,” he added.
“We have come up with eco-friendly initiatives keeping Lok Sabha elections in view. We are carrying out plantation. We are planning to attain the target of 10k plantations per day. We are planting medicinal and fruit plants,” he said.
Drawing attention to the objective behind doing so he said, “Every vote is important. Everyone should vote. That is what we are trying to convey through the plantation. Like every plant has a role to play, every vote counts.”
Ramesh Verma mentioned that voting is a Nation-building exercise. “We are going to ensure medical facilities at the poll booths. The voters can get themselves checked there,” he added.
Remarkably, both Lok Sabha constituencies in Goa—North Goa and South Goa—will undergo voting simultaneously on May 7 in a singular phase.
The electoral process for the 543 Lok Sabha seats will span across seven phases commencing on April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election. The counting of the votes will be held on June 4.