Goa Vikas Party demands rescheduling of LS poll on April 17

PANAJI: Hours after the Election Commission of India ( ECI) announced the Goa schedule of Lok Sabha elections slated on April 17, a regional political outfit in the state has demanded rescheduling of the poll as the date coincides with a holy day observed by the Catholic community.

Goa Vikas Party chief Miccky Pacheco told a news agency today that he has already written to ECI demanding that the date for LS polls should be changed because April 17 is Maundy Thursday.

Its a Holy day before Good Friday, a religious festival for Catholics.

"The Election Commission has fixed the Lok Sabha elections on Maundy Thursday in Goa...we protest this and have requested the EC to change the date," Pacheco said.

The party has two legislators in Goa State Legislative Assembly.

Maundy Thursday is observed by Catholics the world over and it will hurt our religious sentiments if the dates are not changed, he added.

Goa has large number of Catholics and also Hindus besides people from other religion and faiths, who observe this festival just as Catholics, he said.

The ECI while announcing the nine phase election schedule from April 9 in the country had announced April 17 for both the Lok Sabha seats.