Political stakes high as campaigning ends for ZP polls

PANAJI
Campaigning for the December 20 Zilla Panchayat elections in the State drew to a close at 5 pm on Wednesday, setting the stage for a keenly contested battle among the State’s major political players.
At stake are the 50 Zilla Panchayat constituencies spread across North and South Goa, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), are seeking to consolidate their political heft.
The alliance has pitched the polls as a test of grassroots support ahead of the Assembly elections in 2027, banking on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s extensive campaign trail and promises of development.
The Congress, in tie-up with the Goa Forward Party (GFP), is hoping to claw back lost ground by positioning itself as the principal challenger to the BJP-MGP combine. Their campaign focused on issues of unemployment, local governance, and what they describe as rampant corruption under the current regime.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), contesting independently with 42 candidates, has sought to inject fresh energy into the fray. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s three-day tour of Goa was the highlight of their campaign, drawing sizeable crowds and spotlighting promises of improved healthcare, education, and corruption-free governance.
The party is aiming to strengthen its rural footprint in the State through these polls.
Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), which has steadily built a base among a section of the electorate through its insider-outsider identity plank, is also contesting vigorously to prove its relevance beyond protest politics. The RGP’s campaign has leaned heavily on local identity and grassroots mobilisation.
Over the past fortnight, Goa witnessed a flurry of rallies, door-to-door canvassing, and social media outreach.
Sawant personally led campaigns in several constituencies, while Congress leaders and GFP’s Vijay Sardesai toured some of the constituencies his party has fielded candidates in.
Kejriwal’s visit, marked by public meetings and the leader even going door-to-door in a few constituencies with AAP candidates, added a star quotient to the campaign.
With campaigning now officially over, attention shifts to polling day on December 20. For the BJP-MGP alliance, the elections are a test of organisational strength. For Congress-GFP, it is a chance to regain electoral strength.
For the AAP, it is about proving its Goa foray can deliver electoral returns, and for the RGP, it is an opportunity to cement its footing in the State’s political landscape.
The verdict, to be delivered after counting on December 22, will not only decide control of the largely powerless Zilla Panchayats but also signal the mood of Goa’s electorate ahead of the larger battles to come.
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Food outlets near polling stations to be shut
PANAJI: The Collectors of North and South Goa have ordered the closure of all food outlets located within a 100‘metre radius of polling stations during the upcoming Zilla Panchayat elections.
The directive covers restaurants, bars, tea stalls, paan shops, dhabas, gaddas, and other eateries. These establishments must remain shut from 6 am to 9 pm on December 20, the day of polling.
Similar restrictions will apply around counting centres, where food joints within 100 metres will remain closed from 6 am until the completion of vote counting on December 22. The orders also prohibit gatherings of more than five persons within 200 metres of polling stations, with exceptions for voters and officials on duty.