VP polls: expenditure limit for candidate hiked

PANAJI
The State Election Commission on Monday started the election process by issuing a notification inviting nomination papers of the candidates in respect of general election to 186 village panchayats, which are scheduled on June 11.
The nominations papers will be accepted by the respective returning officers (ROs) at respective notified places from May 18 to May 25 except on May 21, being Sunday.
Last date of receiving nomination papers is May 25, the scrutiny of the nomination papers will take place of May 26 and May 27, the candidates can withdraw their nominations on May 29. The candidates filing nomination under general seat will have to deposit Rs 100 and the candidates filing nomination under reserved seat are required to deposit Rs 50 before the respective RO on or before the date fixed for receiving the nomination papers. The counting of the votes will take place on June 13. The expenditure limit for candidates has been raised from Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000.
With the monsoon set to arrive in Goa by June 6, SEC as a precaution directed the Public Works Department to provide water proof pandals at all the booths where there is no cover or protection for voters in case of rainfall. “I have asked PWD to provide water proof pandals especially at those buildings where no structures or adequate space available to protect people from rains,” said SEC Commissioner R K Srivastava.
As many as 21 returning officers (ROs) and assistant returning officers (AROs) have been appointed along with one general observer for each taluka. He said that the ROs and AROs have been asked to identify polling booths, and to prepare the data on the number of government staff required for election duty, they have also been asked to identify the sensitive wards.
“The sensitive wards will be mostly in the same areas which were during the recently concluded State Assembly election, however the number will be more as it will be now a break up of constituencies into wards,” he said.
Srivastava said that the state police department will manage to provide adequate security and if required, the commission would write to the government requesting to approach neighbouring state to fulfill the requirement of additional deployment. The ward-wise electoral roll has been displayed at the respective Mamlatdar’s office across the state for the
public. NT