PANAJI
After the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has extended its support to the ‘Ami Panjekar’ panel backed by Utpal Parrikar for the upcoming Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) elections scheduled on March 11.
A total of 78 candidates have filed their nominations for the polls, with the deadline for finalising candidature concluding on Tuesday. While the BJP-backed panel led by Atanasio Monserrate has fielded candidates in all 30 wards, the Ami Panjekar panel has nominated 29 candidates, including four from the Congress cadre. The panel is also backing Independent candidate Jack Sukhija.
According to information provided by the Goa State Election Commission (SEC), 78 candidates have filed a total of 80 nomination papers, with some submitting more than one set.
The nominations cover General, Women, OBC, OBC Women and ST Women reserved categories. The highest number of nominations- five- has been filed in Ward 26, where two women and three men are in the fray. A 24-year old first time candidate John Po will take on sitting Mayor Rohit Monserrate in Ward 4.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on Wednesday, February 25, while withdrawals, if any, will take place on February 26, after which the final list of candidates will be announced.
Nearly 17 candidates fielded by the Ami Panjekar panel are former councillors who had earlier contested on a BJP-backed panel during the tenure of late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar as Panaji MLA. They were later dropped by Monserrate, who replaced them with new faces.
On Tuesday, AAP Goa chief Valmiki Naik formally announced the party’s support to the Ami Panjekar panel. He said Panaji, with its illustrious 180-year history, has witnessed a decline in recent years under the leadership of the Monserrate “Baap-Beta” duo.
“AAP will extend its support to the Ami Panjekar panel to safeguard Panaji for the Panjekars,” Naik said, urging voters to unite behind the panel and ensure its victory against Monserrate’s panel in the forthcoming elections.
The CCP polls, scheduled just months ahead of the Goa Assembly elections, are being seen as a litmus test for the BJP, Monserrate, Utpal Parrikar and the united Opposition to gauge their political standing.
The counting of votes will take place on March 13.
