Campaigning ends for p’yat polls

4 wards to go for elections in Bardez, 3 in Salcete rrthe goan I networkrMAPUSA/margaorrElections to Ward 1 in Bastora and Anjuna-Caisua and Wards 8 and 9 of Penha de Franca Panchayat was postponed after some individuals petitioned the High Court objecting to the reservation of the wards. The elections were then rescheduled to July 1. r“Campaigning ended peacefully on Thursday evening. We have received no complaints whatsoever from any of the candidates from the wards,” said Dashrath Gawas, Returning Officer I. rAll the ballot boxes will be kept at the Boxing Hall, Peddem Complex, after polling is completed on July 1. rCounting of all the wards of the three panchayats will be taken up simultaneously on July 2 in the same hall in Peddem. rA total of 16 candidates “ Bastora (6), Anjuna (4) and Penha de Franca (6) -- are contesting in the polls. rIn Salcete, curtains have come down on the election campaign for the two reserved wards of Betalbatim panchayat and the lone general ward of Nuvem which are going to the polls on July 1. r The counting of votes for the six wards of Betalbatim panchayat and r11 wards of Nuvem panchayat will be taken up at the district collectorate building on Sunday morning. r Leticia Maria Miranda has already been elected unopposed from the reserved ward No III of the 7-member Betalbatim panchayat. r While ward No 5 of Betalbatim Panchayat will witness a triangular fight, Inacio Carvalho and Tadeu Rebello are locked in a straight fight in Ward No 7. r Elections for the three wards of Betalbatim and the lone Kirbhat ward of Nuvem could not take place on June 11 along with the rest of the panchayat bodies on the question of legal tangle over reservation. rWhile the three wards of Betalbatim has been reserved for the OBCs following the stay granted by the Supreme Court, Kirbhat ward has remained as a general ward as the government did not challenge the High Court order de-reserving these wards. r Returning Officer, Vishal Kundaikar told The Goan that there were no complaints received from any of the three wards going for the elections on July 1. rHe said that polling will take for the three wards at 8 am on July 1 and end at 5 pm. r He said counting of votes of Betalbatim and Nuvem Panchayat wards will be taken up on July 2 on the ground floor of the district Collectorate building.