The election passed off peacefully with police keeping a vigil at all the booths. In all, 23 candidates contested the elections in Ward 2 and 5 reserved for women, while eight candidates contested from Ward 3.
The voting began in the morning and despite heavy downpour, the voters turned up in large numbers.
According to officials, of the 1,593 voters, 1,444 exercised their franchise. It may be recalled that having been classified a panchayat since liberation, Sanquelim was upgraded to a municipality in 1999 and the government appointed an administrator. However, stiff public opposition forced the government to reverse its decision and return Sanquelim to its panchayat status in December 2000.
Panchayat elections were declared in April 2001 and the panchayat completed its five year term. Elections to the new panchayat were declared in April 2006, but barely two days before the polls, the government elevated Sanquelim to a municipality and appointed an administrator to the council. Elections to the 10-member Sanquelim Municipal Council were held in 2008.
Furious with government’s arbitrary move, residents of Upper Harvalem (which was then ward 1 of Sanquelim) demanded panchayat status for Sanquelim and even threatened to boycott the 2008 polls. The government ignored their warning and went ahead with elections, but all voters of Ward 1 retaliated by boycotting the polls in a show of solidarity.
Assuming that the protests would fizzle, authorities decided to hold by-elections to the ward after a year. Three candidates had filed their nominations, but the vigilant residents of Upper Harvalem thwarted such moves and forced all the three candidates to withdraw from the fray.
