PANAJI
As many as 1,499 nominations were filed taking the total number to 6,256 on Monday, the last day designated for filing candidatures for the August 10 polling to decide representatives in 1,528 wards of a total of 186 village panchayats in Goa.
Scrutiny is on Tuesday and candidates are permitted to withdraw if they so desire on Wednesday.
The elections are not being fought on political party lines and many top State level politicians are shy of publicly involving themselves apprehensive of discord among their band of supporters with more than one aspiring to contest in each ward of their areas.
Nonetheless, in an interesting development on Monday, the wife of Speaker Ramesh Tawardkar, filed her papers to represent a ward in the Poinguinim panchayat. Savita Tawadkar submitted her papers to Manoj Korgaonkar.
In Sattari where TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane holds political sway, there are six wards in which only one candidate has filed papers. Their election as ward representatives uncontested will now depend on whether their papers are in order and pass the test of scrutiny by their respective returning officers.
Rajashri Jalmi in Pissurlem, Sarita Gaokar in Thane, Uday Sing Rane in Bhironda, Akshita Gawde in Guleli, Somnath Kale in Mauxi and Shivaji Dessai in Sanvordem are those who find theirs the only nomination in their wards.
In Salcete, nine candidates are headed for election as ward representatives without a contest as theirs was the only nomination received.
Three of these single candidate wards are in Chandor-Cavorim panchayat. One ward each in Benaulim, Nagoa, Seraulim, Ambelim, Macazana and Velim also have only one candidate who has filed papers.
Among the 12 talukas, the populous Bardez topped among the 12 talukas in terms of number of nominations with 1,263 persons submitting their papers. Salcete, another thickly populated taluka had 994 candidates filing nominations, while Dharbandora was the lowest with 172.
In Pernem 515 have entered the fray, 488 in Bicholim, 355 in Sattari, 691 in Tiswadi- 691, 733 in Ponda, 211 in Sanguem, 282 in Mormugao, 311 in Quepem and 241 in Canacona.
Meanwhile, serving or selling of liquor in bars, pubs, shops, clubs, shacks or any establishment has been banned beyond 10 pm with immediate effect and until the Model Code of Conduct which has been enforced by the State Election Commission, ends.
However, as per the orders issued by the district magistrates, establishments are permitted to continue operations beyond 10 pm but will have to stop sale and service of liquor beyond that time.
The panchayat elections have been fraught with various controversies with the State government initially seeking to postpone it beyond September citing difficulties in conducting the grassroot democratic exercise in the monsoon.
However the High Court refused to accept the reasoning and ordered the conduct of the polls which then forced the State government and the State Election Commission to fix it on August 10 with counting slated to be taken up on August 12.
Another controversy that has dogged the panchayat polls is over the reservation of wards for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities for which the Supreme Court of India has mandated an elaborate criteria conforming to the ‘triple test’ -- setting up Commissions for empirical inquiry into nature and implications of backwardness, making recommendations on number of seats to be reserved local body wise and ensuring total reservations including for other categories such as SCs, STs does not exceed 50 per cent.
The State government and SEC went ahead with the OBC reservation leading to challenge before the courts which have now ruled that results of elections in wards of those who have challenged the quotas will be subject to outcome of their petitions.
