Panaji
There has been a steep rise in the number of nominations filed since May 18, when only 54 nominations were filed and the number crossed the 2,000 mark last Friday, taking the cumulative total to 4,226.
The process has gained pace in the talukas of Salcete, Bardez, Bicholim, Ponda and Tiswadi while Canacona and Sanguem have witnessed lukewarm response so far for the panchayat polls.
The polls for 186 village panchayats will be held on June 11, with the counting scheduled for June 13. The code of conduct came into in force from May 18, when the process of filing nominations by candidates began, and will remain in effect till June 13. The nomination process will conclude on May 25 followed by scrutiny on May 26 and 27, and withdrawal on May 29.
SEC has also appointed taluka observers to monitor the code of conduct.
Of the total 1,522 wards across the 186 panchayats, 35.5 per cent wards have been reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Out of the 540 wards reserved for these three categories, 357 have been reserved for OBC, 168 for STs and 15 for SCs.
The ‘quota within quota’ for women covers a total of 167 wards, of these 540 reserved wards with 110 reserved for women in OBC quota, 54 for ST women and three for SC women.
In addition to this, 323 wards have been reserved exclusively for women, taking the total reservation for women to 490 wards or 33 per cent.
