Ward boundaries fixed, CCP election battle heats up

PANAJI
The Director of Municipal Administration, Brijesh Manerkar, has issued a notification finalising the delimitation of the 30 wards for the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP).
The order, published in the Official Gazette, sets the stage for the upcoming civic elections expected in March. Manerkar issued the notification on Monday with the approval of the State government under sub-section (2) of Section 9 of the City of Panaji Corporation Act, 2002.
The Act empowers the Director, with government consent, to specify the number and boundaries of wards into which the city is divided for the election of councillors and it varies significantly from the boundaries of wards at the time of the last election held in 2021.
The annexure to the notification details the boundaries of each ward, which will form the basis for the electoral roll and candidate nominations. The delimitation exercise is a crucial step in the run-up to the polls, ensuring clarity on representation and ward-level governance.
The CCP elections meanwhile are expected to witness a keen contest even if the polls are not officially fought on party lines.
With the ward boundaries now finalised, attention will shift to candidate selection and campaign strategies. Civic issues such as waste management, infrastructure, and urban planning may feature in the discourse, but the elections will mainly be fought as a proxy battle between rival political camps seeking political control in Panaji.
Revenue Minister Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate is said to have already finalised candidates of his panel to be led by his son and current Mayor Rohit Monserrate. The panel backed by the BJP is expected to see several fresh faces replacing sitting councillors.
On the opposition side, veteran corporators Surendra and Ruth Furtado are in talks with Utpal Parrikar, son of late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, former councillor Menino Da Cruz and Taleigao aspirant Dattaprasad Naik to field joint candidates. The Congress, weakened by internal rifts, has already publicly admitted it is talking to Parrikar to field joint candidates.
The Aam Aadmi Party is also weighing its options, considering whether to contest independently or tacitly support the anti-Monserrate front.
With civic issues like waste management and urban planning central to voter concerns, the elections are widely seen as a test of Monserrate’s dominance versus a coalition of independent voices.