MARGAO: A common time slot allotted to the candidates of 33 village panchayats of Salcete resulted in chaos outside the Returning Officers (RO) offices at Margao on Tuesday morning.
Several candidates expressed anger and frustration due to the poor management of the situation.
However, taking serious note of the chaos, the ROs managed to prepare a time schedule for each panchayat, which helped to get rid of unnecessary crowding.
Three ROs responsible for 11 panchayats each had called all the 994 candidates, along with the person who has seconded them, to be present for the scrutiny on Tuesday. And hence, the common time of 10 am witnessed all making a rush at the ROs office at the same time.
Later, a few candidates urged the ROs to make proper arrangements in order to control the crowd. Speaking to the media, Anthony Fernandes, one of the candidates, expressed anger and said that this is total mismanagement and the election authority has failed to conduct smooth proceedings. “This is just harassment of the candidates. A common time slot is the only reason for this mess over here. Initially, they asked the candidates to be present along with the person who has proposed them, but later they informed them that the proposer is required only if somebody files an objection,” he added.
Herculano Niaso, another candidate, said that this rush could have been avoided if proper arrangements were made at the right time.
“We have also noticed many supporters of the candidates at the venue, resulting in chaos. Supporters should have been not allowed inside the complex”, he stated.
