MARGAO
Returning officer for Nuvem and Betalbatim village panchayats, Vishal Kundaikar told the media that his office had received nomination papers for the three wards of Betalbatim, namely 3, 5 and 7 besides ward 10 of Nuvem village, comprising of Kirbhat after the de-reservation by the High Court order.
“All the nomination papers, which were filed before the High Court intervened and the nominations received after the Court de-reserved the seats, will be taken up for scrutiny on Saturday,” he said. He replied in the affirmative when asked whether his office has received any fresh nomination papers for the four seats after the High Court granted relief to the petitioners, saying “we will scrutinize both the nomination papers received before and after the High Court order.”
Residents of Kirbhat-Nuvem had threatened to boycott the ensuing panchayat election as a mark of protest against the government’s ward reservation policy.
