PONDA: Twenty candidates filed their nomination papers for the Ponda municipal elections on Tuesday, the fifth day of the process. With the ten candidates who had filed their nominations till Monday, the total number of nominations filed as on Tuesday is 30.
Those who filed their nominations on Tuesday are: Rupak Desai (ward 2), Minguel Fernadis (ward 3), Ankeeta Naik and Shaila Borkar (ward 4), Manoj Gaonkar, Lalan Naik (ward 5), William Aguiar (ward 6), Diksha Naik (ward 7), Vidhesh Naik, Preetam Naik, Sudesh Naik (ward 8), Bella Rodrigues (ward 9), Rasik Parkar, Mahadev Khanolkar (ward 10), Melinda Colaco and Shubangi Kavlekar (ward 12), Vidhita Prabu (ward 13), Anand Naik and Rudresh Parodkar (ward 14) and Kishore Naik (ward 15).
Tough the Ponda civic polls are expected to be a triangular contest among BJP, Congress and MGP, NGO Amee Phondekars and some independent candidates are also contesting the election.
Meanwhile, the Congress supported panel has declared 14 candidates for the civic polls. The panel includes Ponda MLA Ravi Naik’s son Ritesh Naik who would contest from OBC reserved ward 11.
The Congress supported panel “Ponda Citizen Progressive Front” is headed by R G Desai.
The 14 candidates declared by the Congress backed panel are: Chandrika Chandrakanth Naik (ward 1), Rupak Desai (ward 2), Mingel Fernandis (ward 3), Lalan Satyawan Naik (ward 5), William Aguiar (ward 6), Diksha Dilip Naik (ward 7), Videsh Naik (ward 8), Bella Rodrigues (ward 9), Rasik Parkar (ward 10), Ritesh Naik (ward 11), Melinda Colaco (ward 12), Vidhitha Prabu (ward 13), Anand Naik (ward 14 ) and Kishore Naik (ward 15). The candidate for ward 4 will be declared later.
After declaring the candidates, Ravi Naik told the media that he was confident that all the 15 candidates of the Congress backed panel would be elected.
