PANAJI
The dust of the Corporation of the City of Panaji elections has finally settled. Election figures sourced, reveal that 29 candidates who had contested have to forfeit their deposit fees as they have not managed to get one-eighth of the total valid votes polled in their respective wards.
Of the 95 candidates who had contested, 66 candidates will get a refund of nomination fees paid by them.
Sixteen of the 29 candidates who had to forfeit their nomination fees belong to the Congress-backed panel -- United Panaji Front -- while remaining 13 had contested as independents.
Interestingly, though none of the candidates of the Congress-backed panel won in any of the wards, four of their candidates managed to get a refund of their nomination fees.
All the candidates of Panaji First panel backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Panaji City Corporation Development Front backed by St Cruz MLA Babush Monserrate will get a refund of the fees paid by them.
In all, 14 candidates had contested from wards reserved either for women, OBCs or OBC women and paid Rs 1,000 each towards the nomination fee; while 15 others had contested from general wards and paid Rs 2,000 each.
During the election, 50 candidates had filed their nomination from reserved wards and paid Rs 50,000 as nomination fees; 45 others had filed nominations from general wards and paid Rs 90,000 towards nomination fees.
The nomination fees paid by contesting candidates towards the election are refunded to them if they manage to get one-eighth of the total valid votes polled in their respective wards.
