Following a record-shatter ing 70.81 per cent voter turnout, the fate of 226 Zilla Panchayat (ZP) poll candidates will be decided on Monday, De cember 22, as the State Election Commission (SEC) will commence the counting of votes at 8 am across 14 designated centres, under heavy po lice presence to ensure a peaceful transition with results for all constitu encies of the North Goa and South Goa expected by afternoon. In North Goa, count ing for Pernem taluka constituencies including Arambol, Morjim, Dhar gal and Torxem will be held at the Multipurpose Sports Stadium, Sawal wada. In Bardez taluka, counting for Siolim, Col vale, Aldona, Sirsaim and Anjuna will take place at the Boxing Hall, Peddem Sports Complex, Mapu sa, while for Calangute, Socorro, Reis-Magos and Penha-de-Franca, count ing will be conducted at the Badminton Hall of the same complex. Counting for Tiswa di constituencies St Cruz, Taleigao, Chimbel, Corlim and St Lawrence will be held at Dr Shy ama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Bambolim. In Bicholim taluka, count ing for Latambarcem, Karapur-Sarvan, Maem and Pale will be con ducted at the Narayan Zantye Multipurpose Hall, Sarvan, while in Sattari taluka, count ing for Honda, Querim and Nagargao will take place at the Kadamba Bus Stand Hall, Valpoi. In Ponda taluka, count ing for Usgao-Ganjem, Betqui-Khandola, Curti and Veling-Priol will be held at the auditorium hall of Government ITI, Farmagudi, while for Queula, Borim and Shi roda, counting will be conducted at the Drafts man Civil Workshop of the same institute. In South Goa, count ing for Salcete taluka constituencies of Raia, Nuvem, Colva, Velim and Benaulim will be con ducted on the ground floor on the northern side of the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex, Margao while for Davorlim, Guirdolim, Curtorim and Navelim, counting will be held on the ground floor on the southern side of the same complex. Counting for Dharbandora con stituencies Sanvordem and Dharbandora will be conducted on the first floor of the Govern ment Office Complex, Tamsodo. In Sanguem, counting for Rivona will take place at the Gov ernment Sports Com plex, Khairikhatem. For Quepem constituencies of Xeldem and Barcem, counting will be held at the Government Sports Complex, Borimol, while in Canacona, counting for Cola and Poinguinim will be conducted at the first floor of the Govern ment Higher Secondary School, Sheller. Counting for Mormugao constit uencies Sancoale and Cortalim will be held at the Mormugao Port In stitute, Vasco
The elections to the North Goa and South Goa Zilla Panchayats were held on December 20, witnessing enthu siastic participation from voters across the State. This year’s turnout marks a significant jump from the usual 60-65% to over 70%, indicating heightened public engagement and hinting at a possible major shift in the political landscape at the local level. Voters exhibited en thusiasm at the polling booths, with a notable trend of higher participation by women compared to men. Both North and South Goa districts saw a strong presence of female voters, leading analysts to predict that women’s votes could be decisive in determining the outcome of these elections. After the polling concluded, all ballot boxes were se curely transported and stored under tight security in designated strong rooms at their respective taluka offic es. Special arrangements have been made to facilitate ef ficient counting. Larger talukas like Bardez, Salcete, and Ponda have been equipped with two counting centres each to manage the volume, while the remaining talukas will conduct the counting at pre-identified sports com plexes or government offices. Following the declaration of results, the process of electing the ZP chairperson and vice-chairperson is ex pected to gain momentum rapidly. The performance of various political parties and independent candidates in this election will play a crucial role in shaping the future of local governance in Goa. The administration has taken special measures to pre vent overcrowding and any untoward incidents, empha sising the importance of maintaining law and order. With the State keenly watching the unfolding results, political observers anticipate that these elections could reshape grassroots politics, reflecting changing voter pri orities and the evolving political dynamics of Goa.
