PANAJI
The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) elections enter their decisive phase on March 11 with voting across 30 wards scheduled from 8 am to 5 pm. While in some of the wards voting will take place in a single booth, several larger wards will have two booths to ease voter turnout.
What might otherwise have been a routine civic exercise has transformed into a political spectacle, drawing State-level heavyweights and seasoned veterans into the fray.
While the political shadow of Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate and Utpal Parrikar is cast on this election, the presence of former mayors, ex-deputy mayors, and long-serving councillors in the electoral fray has ensured that the battle is as much about local satraps as it is about political alignments.
Monserrate has campaigned for his panel, while Utpal, son of late Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, has lent support to the Ami Panjekar panel.
The Opposition too has weighed in, with Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, and AAP leaders Venzy Viegas and Valmiki Naik joining door-to-door campaigns.
Several wards meanwhile are witnessing gripping duels: Surendra Furtado versus Kabhir Pinto Makhija in Ward 9, Dr Sheetal Naik versus Bento Lorena in Ward 6, and Uday Madkaikar versus Nilkant Chari in Ward 13.
Even Mayor Rohit Monserrate’s expected smooth run in Ward 4 (Caranzalem) has been jolted by the surprise entry of Agnelo Silveira, turning it into a three-cornered fight.
The entry into the fray in Ward 17 (Fontainhas, Alto-Guimaraes, Altinho) of Jack Sukhija, scion of the Dr Jack de Sequeira family, has heightened interest. He faces the BJP-backed Monserrate-led panel's Edward Jorge, the incumbent, in a direct fight.
Observers note that these contests, combined with door-to-door campaigning, social media buzz, and surprise candidacies, have made the CCP elections a closely watched civic battle.
For Panaji’s residents, however, the stakes remain practical: tackling traffic congestion, parking chaos, waste management, and stalled Smart City projects.
The verdict on March 11 will decide not just winners in individual wards but also the balance of power in Panaji’s civic body, shaping the city’s governance for years to come.
