MARGAO
The fate of the 863 candidates in the fray for the 33 village panchayats in Salcete will be decided on Wednesday, even as hundreds of polling staff fanned out to various polling booths set up across the taluka.
Dozens of sitting and former sarpanchas, besides sitting and former panchas and their challengers are in the fray for the 33 panchayat bodies. A total of 11 candidates have been elected unopposed from Salcete taluka.
Instances are galore of family members in the fray, including a host of husbands and wives, spouses of former MLAs, including Mickky Pacheco, Wilfred D’Sa and the daughter of former PWD minister Churchill Alemao.
Mainstream politicos, including Navelim BJP MLA Ulhas Tuenkar, have openly campaigned for the party-backed candidates in the panchayat areas of Rumdamol, Davorlim and Aquem-Baixo in the Navelim constituency.
Sources have said that MLAs, including Congress Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao, extended support to workers in the fray. Yuri has claimed that a couple of his candidates have already been elected unopposed in the election.
The Goan understands that Yuri along with Congress MLA from neighbouring Quepem, Altone D’Costa, have made a determined bid to control the affairs of the Balli panchayat in the ensuing polls.
Meanwhile, the office of Returning Officers for Salcete taluka have made elaborate arrangement for the smooth conduct of Wednesday’s polls for the 33 village panchayats in the taluka.
Hundreds of polling officials fanned out to their respective polling stations across the taluka on Tuesday after collecting the polling material.
Returning Officer Laxmikhant Desai has informed that all preparations for Wednesday polling are complete and the stage is set for the panchayat bodies elections in Salcete.
Observers say over 60 votes may be enough in triangular contests
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
Total electorate “ around 177. Actual voters present in the ward for voting “ around 146. The number of contestants in the fray is three. Half-way mark for the contestants to win the battle “ around 70 votes. Composition of the electorate “ both males and females has an almost equal number of votes in the ward.
Considering that three constants are vying for honours in a no-hold-barred battle, observers say even a 60-plus vote may be enough for each of the candidates in a touch-and-go situation.
This political equation may baffle many a poll pundit, but welcome to Ward 3 of Cavelossim village panchayat, where the three candidates in the fray have a task at hand -- to win the confidence of just 60-70 voters and earn a place in the panchayat body for the next five years.
The target may look easy and simple, but in the fray, for Ward 3 is outgoing Cavelossim sarpanch Denis Dias, two-time panch James Barretto and their challenger, seaman-turned-businessman, Dixon Vaz. Of the trio, Dixon is testing the political waters for the first time.
The three candidates in the fray have left nothing for chance, as they tried to woo the electorate during the campaign. Sources said the result may go in favour of any of the three candidates in the emerging equation.
Given the high stakes involved in the battle of the ballot, the authorities, including the police and flying squad have been repeatedly called up to enforce the model code of conduct.
While around 20 voters are believed to be holed up abroad and are not in the village to cast their vote, a couple of voters are reported to have come down from abroad ahead of the polling.
