Panaji, April 9 The Goa state assembly by-election in Ponda was cancelled due to a "political conspiracy" between the Election Commission of India and the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged on Thursday.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday quashed the Election Commission's notification for the by-election a day before the polling, citing violation of the Representation of the People Act, as the legislature's term is set to expire in less than a year.
The by-election, scheduled for Thursday, was cancelled even though postal ballots had already been cast. The High Court also refused to stay its judgement.
Addressing a press conference during the day, Goa AAP president Valmiki Naik alleged that the Election Commission deliberately delayed announcing the by-election date to ensure that the term of the new MLA would be less than a year. State assembly elections are due in March next year.
While asserting that his party respects the High Court's verdict, Naik said, "Why did the Election Commission delay in announcing the by-election date? We are apprehensive that voters in Ponda will not have a legislator to represent them for 16 months (from the day the seat fell vacant to the assembly elections in March)."
"The cancellation of the by-election was due to a political conspiracy between the Election Commission and the ruling BJP. The Advocate General of Goa (Devidas Pangam) argued in support of the petitioners who had sought the cancellation of the election," he further claimed.
Two voters from Ponda had filed a petition in the High Court demanding the cancellation of the election.
The by-election was necessitated by the death of sitting BJP MLA Ravi Naik on October 15 last year.
