'Dead man' seeks deletion of voters, Goa opposition cries foul

Panaji, Dec 15 (IANS) Days after the opposition in Goa raked up the issue of a dead person's signature being used on an application form to seek deletion of names of 14 voters from the voters' list in South Goa's Mormugao constituency, opposition parties demanded a probe by the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)."How can a man who is dead apply seeking deletion of 14 names from the electoral list? This is an attempt by the ruling party to wipe out opposition votes," Goa Congress general secretary Altinho Gomes said after meeting CEO Kunal.Last week, state Congress vice president Sankalp Amonkar had filed a complaint with the South Goa Deputy Collector, accusing sitting MLA and Urban Development Minister Milind Naik of trying to manipulate the official voters' list by using a dead person's initials to sign off on a form seeking deletion of the names of 14 existing voters in the Mormugao constituency.Naik has however denied the allegation.Goa Forward, a local opposition party, has also submitted a representation to the Goa CEO seeking a probe into the allegations related to manipulation of the voters list."We want a thorough probe into the allegations. Voter list manipulation is a serious matter," Goa Forward vice president Durgadas Kamat said.
--IANS maya/kr