Team Herald
PANJIM: As many as 438 candidates are left in fray for the March 21 municipal elections scheduled in five municipalities, after scrutiny of the nominations held, on Monday.
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Total 90 applications were declared invalid, of which seven were rejected by the State Election Commission (SEC).
A total of 518 nominations were filed across five municipalities — Margao, Mormugao, Sanguem, Quepem and Mapusa.
Suchita Shenvi Shirwaikar from Ward III of Quepem Municipal Council is set be officially elected unopposed with only one nomination being filed.
Mormugao council has the maximum number of candidates — 133, followed by 111 in Margao, 97 in Mapusa, 54 in Quepem and 43 in Sanguem municipality.
The nominations of Jose Cardoso and David Fernandes from Ward No VII of Quepem Municipality have been rejected.
In Mormugao, four nominations — Saifula Khan, Pratima Shetye of Ward No XI and Saifula Khan and Hussainsab Shaikh of Ward No XVII, are rejected.
The withdrawal of candidature, if any, will take place on Tuesday — the day, when the Supreme Court is all set to hear the final arguments on Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the State government challenging High Court order to stall the elections in these five municipalities over ward reservation issue.
