Goa Municipal Elections 2021: Voting underway in five municipal councils

Results of the polls would be announced on April 26. (PTI)

Goa Local Body Election 2021 Polling: Voting for the five municipal councils in Goa is being held today with 402 candidates in the fray. A total of 1,85,225 voters are eligible to cast their votes. The State Election Commission is holding the elections for Mapusa, Margao, Mormugao, Sanguem and Quepem municipal councils.

Results of the polls would be announced on April 26.

While elections are not fought on party symbols, all political parties, including BJP, Congress and Goa Forward Party, have fielded their panels. The Goa Forward Party has forged an alliance with the Congress in Margao municipal council, while it fights against the BJP-led panel.

A fierce battle is being fought in these municipal councils and the stakes are high for all the parties, be it the ruling BJP, opposition Congress and GFP. The states are heading to Assembly Elections 2022 in less than a year and the municipal polls are likely to set the stage for next year’s poll.

The polls in these five municipal councils were postponed after a High Court order. The court had said that the procedures followed for reservation of municipal poll constituencies for women, SC, ST and OBCs were not correct. The High Court’s decision was upheld by the Supreme Court which directed the State Election Commission to complete the polls by April 30.