PANAJI
Speaking to The Goan, Dr Y Durgaprasad, the officer on special duty to the state election commissioner, informed that the government printing press had completed the process of printing the ballot papers and that the entire consignment had been delivered to the SEC. “We have dispatched the postal ballots for polling personnel. We have already asked the superintendents of police to identify the police personnel who will be posted on duty on the polling day. The postal ballots for these personnel will also be dispatched thereafter,” Dr Durgaprasad stated.
It was further learnt that the second round of training for the polling officers began on Monday and was to be completed by June 8 under the close watch of the 20 returning officers across the state. The training of the counting personnel will also be undertaken soon after.
Over seven lakh Goans will cast their ballot on Sunday at the polls to around 1450 panchayat wards. The candidates in 55 of the total 1522 wards in 186 panchayats have already been elected unopposed. In one ward of a panchayat in Sattari taluka, there are no contestants and the fate of 15 wards across 11 panchayats has been decided by the High Court of Bombay at Goa.
In yet another ward, Ward No 5 of the seven-member Chandor panchayat, the election process has been countermanded and will be rescheduled by the SEC as per Section 24 of the Panchayat Raj Act following the death of one of the two candidates.
Joaquim Damiao Peixoto passed away while climbing stairs during his poll campaign. He was one of the candidates for Ward No. 5, a general ward of the Chandor panchayat, along with Raymond D’Cruz. The 284 electors of the ward will go to polls at a later date.
