The District election Office Collector of North Goa District has briefed about the upcoming general elections of 2024. Applicants can file in their nomination by 19th April 2024 and the date of Scrutiny of nominations is 20th April 2024. Last date of withdrawal of candidatures is 22nd April 2023.
Election is scheduled on 7th of May 2024 and the counting of votes will be held on 4th June 2024.
According to Sneha Gitte, IAS Collector & District Magistrate, North Goa Parliamentary Constituency has 5,77,977 voters, with Male voters 2,80,260 and 2,97,714 Female Voters, 03 Transgender and PWD voters – 4,955.
Further, North Goa District has 863 Polling Stations spread across 20.
Assembly Constituencies from Mandrem to Priol:
Each Polling Booth will be equipped with Assured minimum facilities (AMF) such as shed, drinking water, toilets, ramps, wheelchairs and a help desk. Further, the Polling Booths shall also be having unique initiatives such as 20 Pink Polling Stations, 5 Polling Stations manned by Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), 43 Model Polling Stations and 40 Green/Eco Friendly Polling Stations.
Elections have consistently seen a high voter participation in in North Goa Assembly Elections, 2022 (81.15%) and for Lok Sabha Elections, 2019 (76.82%).
In order to increase the participation of all voters, special focus on participation of new voters, women, Third gender, Persons with Disabilities and senior citizens.
Further, the 23 Flying Squad Teams, 16 Static Surveillance Teams, 12 Video Viewing Teams and 20 Video Surveillance Team have been activated in the field to ensure strict compliance of the Model Code of Conduct.
Teams have also been set up to ensure a check on expenditure monitoring.
This office has also held interstate meeting with Belagavi District in Karnataka and Sindhudurg District in Maharashtra to take collaborative measures to enhance interstate border security by involving agencies like police excise, Commercial Tax and Income Tax for sharing insights, strategies and intelligence. This is necessary to take stern action against any possibility of violation of MCC by using inducement such as liquor, freebies money and muscle power.
In order to ensure law and order, peaceful and free and fair elections in the State, Election Commission of India has deployed Central Armed Police Forces(CAPFs) personnel along with state police forces during the Lok Sabha Elections identified and suitable measure have been taken to keep vigil in these areas round the clock and adequate number of Police have been deployed for the said task.
The control room is centrally set up the District Level and also the taluka level for monitoring of election related activities and ensuring co-ordination among various agencies during election for smooth conduct of free and fair election. The landline as well as mobile phones with WhatsApp have been activated.
In order to ensure that the compliance of MCC violations are addressed swiftly C-vigil app have been introduced by the ECI wherein citizen can file complains of MCC violation even anonymously. Also ESMS a new application of ECI has been setup to keep track of cash movements within and also across borders.
With the sole motive that no voter is left behind, the Commission has taken special measures to provide postal ballot facility to person above 85 years of age and persons having more than 40% benchmark disability wherein the polling team will visit the home of the voter and he will be permitted to cast his vote on his registered address itself by submitting form 12D.
Further to ensure that the election is conducted in a smooth manner, this office has already imparted 2 rounds of training to polling parties wherein 1988 number of polling personnel have imparted training at district level. Further they will be provided a third training at the Taluka Level.
Further, sufficient training has been also provided to EROS and AEROs, Micro Observers and other election functionaries.
In order to ensure sustainable elections in an attempt to reduce the carbon footprint, a special drive will be conducted wherein the polling parties who will perform duty at the polling booth will plant trees in the vicinity of the polling station.
The Collectorate has undertaken specific initiatives under the Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) mechanism to ensure awareness towards participation of the citizens in the elections in large numbers.
Under the SVEEP programs there are electoral literacy clubs, Chunav Patshals, voter awareness forums, booth level awareness groups, campus ambassadors across the district. Further, this office has taken recourse to targeted interventions focusing on youth, persons with disabilities, women voters and urban voters and first-time voters.
EVMs and VVPAts are stored in the Boy’s Hostel Altinho Panaji and after poll, the polled EVMs and VVPAts will be stored at Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter, Altinho, Panaji Goa.
Sneha Gitte, IAS Collector & District Magistrate North Goa and North Goa – SP Akshat Kaushal, IPS have appealed to all voters to turn out in the polling booth in large numbers on 7th May, 2024 to strengthen democracy.
