Zilla Panchayat election in Goa on March 22

Panaji: Election for all the 50 Zilla Panchayat (ZP) constituencies in Goa will be held on March 22, it was announced here on Friday.

The State Election Commission (SEC) announced the poll schedule for Zilla Panchayats (ZPs) in Goa, which has two districts.

State Election Commissioner R K Srivastava, addressing a press conference, said voting for both ZP bodies North Goa and South Goa will be held on March 22 and the counting will take place the next day.

The nomination process will start on February 27 and conclude on March 5, he said.

Ballot papers will be used in the election which will be held on party lines, Srivastava said.

The IAS officer said 15 returning officers are being



appointed across Goa to oversee the polling process.

There is a cap of Rs 5 lakh on poll expenditure of each candidate, he said.

As many as 4.8 lakh voters in North Goa and 4.11 lakh voters in South Goa are eligible to exercise their franchise to elect local body representatives in 50 seats.

With the announcement of the poll schedule, the model code of conduct has come into effect, covering all panchayat and municipal areas, Srivastava said.

A total of 1,237 polling booths - 641 in North Goa and 596 in South Goa - will be set up, he said.

Out of the total 50 constituencies, 14 are reserved for Other Backward Classes, six for Scheduled Tribes and one for Scheduled Castes, Srivastava said.