NT Reporter
Panaji
With the State Election Commission Saturday announcing the schedule for the general elections to the North Goa and South Goa Zilla Panchayats (ZP), which will be held on December 20, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force in all the panchayat areas of the state.
Both the ZP bodies have 25 seats each.
Counting of votes will he held on December 22.
Addressing a press conference, State Election Commissioner (SEC) Menino D’Souza said that as the Model Code of Conduct is applicable for the village panchayat areas, the state government cannot announce any such scheme, initiative or activity that will be applicable to the
entire state.
He said that if a certain initiative or policy that is announced during the Model Code of Conduct period is specific to municipalities and the Corporation of the City of Panaji, then it may not attract
violation.
D’Souza further said there will be no restrictions on weddings and private functions to serve alcohol.
He, however, said mandatory permission needs to be obtained from the authorities concerned.
The SEC also said that there will be no restrictions on bars and restaurants to serve alcohol as per permitted time. He said if at all anything will be there, the excise department will take care of it.
According to the SEC, nominations will be received from December 1, and December 9 will be the last date for filing the nominations. Scrutiny of the nomination forms will be held on December 10, while December 11 will be the date for withdrawal of nominations.
The SEC has adopted the Goa legislative assembly electoral roll, updated till October 1, 2025, placing the total number of eligible voters at 8,68,637 across the state.
In 25 constituencies of North Goa Zilla Panchayat, there are a total of 4,39,480 voters of which 2,13,529 are males, 2,25,948 are females and three other voters.
In 25 constituencies of South Goa Zilla Panchayat, there are a total of 4,29,157 eligible voters of which 2,06,902 are males, 2,22,253 are females and two other voters.
The SEC has also finalised reservations, with nine seats in North Goa reserved for women, seven for OBC and one each for SC and ST. In South Goa, 10 seats have been reserved for women, six for OBC and five for ST.
A total of 1,284 polling booths will be set up, 658 in North Goa and 626 in South Goa, said the SEC. Voting will be conducted via ballot paper. Each candidate will be allowed a maximum expenditure of Rs 5 lakh.
The elections will be held on party lines. Besides, independent candidates will also be eligible to contest the ZP polls.
To ensure fair and efficient conduct of the elections, the SEC has appointed 15 general observers and as many expenditure observers in addition to deploying flying squads and static surveillance teams to enforce the Model Code of Conduct.
The police department will deploy adequate force across both the districts to maintain law and order.
