PANAJI
The fate of 402 candidates will be decided by over 1,95,000 voters who will exercise their franchise in municipals councils of Mapusa, Margao, Quepem, Sanguem and Mormugao on Friday.
All eyes will, however, be on the voter turnout as the pandemic has tightened its grip over the State.
The counting of votes is scheduled for April 26.
Leaders of key election panels in Margao went into a huddle in their drawing rooms to re-draw their strategies to get voters out for voting in view of the highest single day spike of Covid cases reported at the Urban Health Centre on Thursday.
In Mapusa, amid a Covid scare, over 300 polling staff took guard to conduct free and fair municipal elections in 44 polling stations.
A total of 33,483 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the civic election in Mapusa, of which 16,403 are males and 17,080 females.
The fate of candidates will also be decided in the port town as 125 candidates have thrown their hat in the poll ring in 25 different wards of the Mormugao Municipal Council.
The highest number of candidates are in Wards 12 (11) and Ward 17 (10), while a number of panels are being fielded by parties and prominent politicians.
