MARGAO/PANAJI
Amid a surge in Covid cases, the public campaigning for elections of Margao, Mapusa, Mormugao, Quepem and Sanguem municipal councils elections ended on Wednesday. The polling will be held on April 23.
The administration is facing an uphill task of holding the civic elections given the huge number of Covid cases. Elaborate arrangements are being worked out to ensure people come out and vote by maintaining proper social distancing and by following all other guidelines.
Section 144 under CrPC has been issued for prohibiting the opening of eateries, bars and kiosks and assembly of more than five within 100 meters from polling stations.
The battle lines are drawn in the five municipalities which are going to polls at a time when the BJP government, both at the Centre and State, is facing severe criticism for its Covid handling. Polls analysts and candidates are keeping their fingers crossed on the percentage of voting in the
five municipalities.
In Margao, 98 candidates are in the fray for the 25-member civic body. Majority of the candidates belong to the two major panels fielded by the BJP, Congress, Goa Forward and some citizens’ groups.
The election had witnessed heavy campaigning between archrivals Vijai Sardesai and Damu Naik in Fatorda and Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat and his
BJP challengers.
The Margao battle is billed as the semifinal clash ahead of the 2022 Assembly election with both the ruling party and the opposition leaving nothing to chance by going about their campaigns in a systematic manner.
In Mapusa, although candidates with varied political affiliations have come together and for the first time in recent history put up a panel for the civic election, the opposition is facing a credibility
crisis of sorts.
The opposition panel “ Mhapshekarancho Ekvott (ME) “ was put together by former chairpersons Sudhir Kandolkar, Subhash Narvekar, Michael Carrasco and ex-councilor and MGP points-man in Mapusa, Vinod Phadke.
For all purpose, Sudhir Kandolkar calls the shots and is the de facto leader of the opposition panel.
Although Kandolkar is presently with the Congress having unsuccessfully contested the Mapusa by-election, he still carries the baggage of being close to the BJP.
