Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and the Church today joined the growing chorus for seeking a change in April 17 Lok Sabha poll date in the state as it clashes with a Catholic article of faith, which is a day ahead of Good Friday.
Parrikar and the Archbishop of Goa and Daman Fr Filipe Neri Ferrao wrote separate letters to Election Commission of India seeking rescheduling of the date as April 17 happens to be Maundy Thursday which commemorates the Maundy (a religious rite) and Last Supper of Jesus Christ.
"The date, 17th April, 2014, coincides this year with Maundy Thursday, one of the most solemn religious celebrations in the calendar of the Catholic Church," the Archbishop's letter said. Goa sends two Lok Sabha MPs and the polling is scheduled on the single day.
The Archbishop's letter stated that the polling date would result in a serious conflict between the religious duties and the constitutional duties of many Catholics, particularly of more than 40 per cent of the polling officers, who would be completely deprived from attending the obligatory religious services, said Goa Church spokesman Fr Olavo Caiado.
Parrikar asked the authorities not to hold the election between April 17-20 and suggested it could be held before April 13 or April 20.
"Considering the significance of Maundy Thursday and its importance to the Catholic community, (I) would like to request for a change in poll date from April 17 to any day before April 13 or April 20.
"While April 13 is observed as Palm Sunday, April 17 is observed as Maundy Thursday and April 20 as Easter Sunday," Parrikar said.
