Goa journalists protest non-cooperation by poll panel

Journalists today protested outside the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Goa alleging non-cooperation by the poll panel regarding election-related information.

Members of Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ) and Photo Journalists Association Goa held a sit-in outside the chamber of CEO S Kumarswamy.

The scribes were upset after Kumarswamy and Joint CEO Narayan Navti discontinued their daily briefings and also refused to entertain queries from the media.

Goa is going to polls on March 3. Several complaints had been received by the Election Commission, including violation of code of conduct by senior legislators.

Officials of National Informatics Centre (NIC) are also in the spot for allegedly tempering with their own computers and allowing backdated entry into the appointment letters offered by the State Government.

GUJ President Pandurang Gaonkar said the EC officials have been non-cooperative since yesterday. "They had assured regular media briefings. But suddenly they discontinued the practice after names of veteran leaders began cropping up for violation of election code of conduct."

The journalists have decided to hold protest on January 23 when an Election Commission team from Delhi is expected to arrive in the state to see preparations.

Former GUJ President Prakash Kamat said CEC S Y Quraishi will face peaceful protests by journalists. "The Commission has been saying the media is an integral part of election process, but their action speaks otherwise."

The media had been exposing several misdeeds of politicians during the poll run up and this might have irked some officers, Kamat added.