"Every vote is important": Goa's Chief Electoral Officer to people

Panaji (Goa) [India], April 10 : Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the country, Goa's Chief Electoral Officer Ramesh Verma said that efforts have been intensified in the border areas and items worth a total of Rs 12.89 crores have been seized till now.
"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," said Verma.
He further added that efforts are underway to pass a message to local people that they can trust their team here and elections will be held in a free and fair way.
He emphasised that the elections in itself is a challenge. "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.
Highlighting 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."
He 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.
Notably, the two Lok Sabha constituencies in Goa - North Goa and South Goa - will go to polls in a single phase on May 7.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting 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.