PANAJI
The panchayat election campaign across the State hit a crescendo on Sunday with legislators, candidates and workers going door-to-door wooing the electorate ahead of the August 10 polling.
With elections being scheduled on Wednesday, candidates made the best use of the weekend to meet up with voters and make a last ditch effort before campaigning comes to an end on Monday.
In Tiswadi, trends are emerging where grassroot satraps are fighting to win control in some cases fielding multiple family members in the same panchayat.
Also, the three MLAs -- Rudolf Fernandes, Rajesh Phaldesai and Viresh Borkar -- are pursuing different strategies to ensure politically convenient outcomes for themselves in panchayats of their respective constituencies.
In Salcete, Sunday saw grass-root politicians slogging out on the field to woo the electorate.
Being the last Sunday before the elections, the candidates left nothing for chance as they went about the campaign in the wards. In fact, candidates with groups of supporters hopped from door-to-door.
A couple of present and former MLAs descended on the battlefield in support of their candidates. While BJP MLA Ulhas Tuemkar with supporters went around Rumdamol village in support of party candidates, ex-Nuvem MLA Wilfred D’Sa descended in the Guirim ward of Nuvem to drum up support for wife Freda.
A total of 863 candidates are in the fray for the 33 village panchayats spread across Salcete taluka.
