PANAJI: The battle for the assembly selection of 2022 was heated with 301 remaining candidates in Fray after withdrawal on Monday.
Goa is set to vote on February 14.
This election has witnessed an increase in the number of candidates by 50, compared to the 2017 assembly selection.
It can be attributed to the fact that some newer parties have thrown their hats into the ring.
Apart from BJP, Congress, MGP, GFP, and AAP, new participants such as TMC, RGP, Jai Maha Bharath, Goencho Swabhiman Party and Brighaji Brigade have also installed candidates.
Apart from the Pandemic Covid-19, the campaign by candidates and parties is in full swing – physically and on social media – when they try to reach as many seats as possible to be part of the powerful dispensation.
Election Election Commission (EC) has extended the ban on road shows, bicycle and bicycle welcomes and procession until 11 February.
However, the EC has allowed physical public meeting of political parties or candidates in designated open space with a maximum of 1,000 people or 50% basic capacity or the specified limit set by the authorities.
EC also increases the limit for door-to-door campaigns of up to 20 people.
The head of the election election of Goa Kunal said that they had identified 490 locations – indoor and outdoor – to campaign, especially public meetings.
He said that at present, there are more than 11.6 lakh voters who qualify in Goa, including 9,361 names that have been added since the final publication of the election in January.
Among the total voters, there were 9,590 people with disabilities (PWD), 2.997 which had passed the age of 80, 41 sex workers and nine transgender.
With the increase in voting stations and also in the number of voters, the average number of voters per voting station is 676.
Kunal also said that according to the guideline, Form 20 has been given by the Booth level officer (BLO) for all who qualify.
People for postal voting, and the total form received by district election officers is 13,284.
Of these, 5,938 is in North Goa and 7,346 in South Goa.
So far, more than Rs 10 Crore cash, liquor, medicine, precious metals have been confiscated – cash more than Rs 6 Crore, liquor more than Rs 2 Crore, drugs worth more than Rs 1 Crore and precious metals worth more than Rs 2 Crore.