PANAJI
95 candidates will fight it out for the Corporation of City of Panaji polls scheduled on March 6 after 36 candidates withdrew their nominations on Saturday. All the candidates have also been allotted symbols.
Three candidates who were backed by the Congress “ Gaurav Naik from Ward 5, Ricky Fernandes from Ward 10 and Gregory Botelho from Ward 19 “ have withdrawn their nominations, leaving the Congress with 19 candidates to contest the polls. However, none of the BJP-backed candidates have withdrawn their nominations.
There will be straight fights in wards 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 19, 26 and 27; while 14 wards will witness triangular fights which include 2, 4, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24.
Two wards “ 1 and 23 - will see a contest among six candidates; while five wards will have electoral battle among four candidates.
Interestingly, 16 sitting councillors, including Mayor Shubham Chodankar, are in the fray for the polls.
Speaking to mediapersons, Returning Officer Gaurish Shankhwalkar said, “We had received 131 valid nominations, of which 36 have been withdrawn today. There are 95 candidates in fray for CCP polls on March 6.”
This time, two couples “ Ruth and Surendra Furtado and Arti and Rupesh halarnkar “ are also in the fray.
