Goa: Civic polls very unlikely to be held along party lines

PANAJI: The state government may not hold municipal elections along party lines given the fewer electors in wards and people casting votes at a personal level.
While BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said that the party hasn’t taken any decision yet on the issue, a senior minister said, “It is 99.9% unlikely that municipal elections will be held along party lines”.
Tanavade also said that they have told chief minister Pramod Sawant to decide on the issue, and that BJP is ready to face elections whatever his decision.
A BJP core committee member said that the party thinks voting numbers for municipal election are very small (around 700-1,000) in each ward, and most vote for their relatives or friends. “If the election is held along party lines, it would be difficult for party workers to decide between party candidates and relatives and friends, and there could be confusion,” another core committee member said.
With the municipal election likely to held in February-March, BJP has started consultations with its MLAs and ministers to decide on the issue.
Most MLAs from muncipal areas have said that they are OK with both. Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate said recently that if zilla panchayat elections were fought along party lines, municipal elections should also be fought the same way. He added that conducting civic polls along party lines, as done in larger cities, will be beneficial in the long run.