Team Herald
PANJIM/PONDA: Door-to-door campaigning is in full swing for the Ponda Municipal Council, which goes to polls on May 5. In all, 43 candidates are in the fray.
Some of the veteran councillors are facing a challenge from young and new faces who have entered the fray. Social worker Viraj Sapre is one among those who are trying their luck in the municipal elections.
Since the municipal elections are not fought on party lines, the three major political parties i.e. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have backed their panels in the election.
Sraight fights are on the cards in wards II, IX and XV while a triangular contest will be seen wards V, VIII, X0, XI and XIV.
The highest five candidates are in ward I, where Roy Naik, younger son of Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik is contesting. Also, ward IV has five candidates where two sitting councillors Venktesh Naik and his sister-in-law councillor Chandrakala Naik are contesting against each other.
Ponda municipal chairperson Ritesh Naik, elder son of Minister Ravi Naik is contesting from ward V, where he is locked in a triangular battle.
Also ward II will witness an interesting battle between sitting councillor Virendra Dhavalikar and Rajesh Talaulikar, husband of sitting councillor Geetali Talaulikar.
BJP and MGP have already declared names of candidates while, the Congress has not yet declared its panel.
Polling will be held for 13 wards as two candidates Vishwanath Dalvi (ward VII) and Vidhya Punalekar (XIII), both supported by BJP have already been declared elected unopposed.
SANKHALI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday announced his panel for the Sankhali Municipal Council elections.
In Sakhali, elections will be held for 10 wards as two candidates Praveen Blaggan (ward V) and Riyaz Shaikh (ward VIII) have already been declared elected unopposed. The BJP-backed panel is desperately trying to wrest the Sankhali Municipal Council from longest serving councillor and former chairperson Dharmesh Saglani, who has also floated a panel called ‘Together for Sankahli’.
