PANAJI
Nearly 31,648 Panajimites will decide the fate of 95 candidates in fray for Corporation of City of Panaji polls on Sunday. The counting of votes will be held on March 8 at Pharmacy College, Panaji.
Voting will be held at 68 polling stations for the 30 wards of Panaji. While seven booths have been declared vulnerable which include two booths in ward 17, three in ward 18 and two in ward 22, 15 others have been declared sensitive.
Panaji First, backed by the State Bharatiya Janata Party has floated 30-member panel; United Panaji Front, backed by the Congress has 20 candidates and Panaji City Corporation Development Front, backed by Taleigao bigwig Babush Monserrate has floated a 30-member panel. The remaining are contesting as Independents. Of the 30 sitting councillors, 16 are in the fray once again.
Interestingly, only 11 of the 30 wards will witness triangular fights among the three panels which include wards of 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 20, 22, 23 and 24. The three bigwigs will clash in eight other wards too, but it is along with other independent candidates.
There will be straight fights in eight wards of 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 19, 26 and 27; while 14 wards will witness triangular fights which include wards of 2, 4, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24.
Two wards -- 1 and 23 -- will witness fight among six candidates each; while five wards will witness fights among four candidates each.
Two couples “ Ruth and Surendra Furtado and Arti and Rupesh Halarnkar “ are contesting from ward 9 and 10 and 29 and 30 respectively.
Though the manifestos of all three panels speak about addressing various issues in Panaji, mainly garbage, parking and St Inez nullah which have been existent for very long time, none of them speak about making Panaji a smart city.
