Elections to the two Lok Sabha seats and by-elections to the three Assembly constituencies in Goa will be held on April 23, State Chief Electoral Officer Kunal said on Sunday.
A total of 11,31,618 voters are eligible to cast their votes in Goa, he said. Mr. Kunal said a lot of initiatives have been taken to ensure that the elections are held in a free and fair atmosphere. Special emphasis is also being made to ensure accessibility for persons with disability (PwDs).
A little over 5,000 PwDs have been enlisted as voters, and they will ensure that each voting centre has a wheel-chair and disabled-friendly infrastructure.
The number of booths entirely managed by PwDs and exclusively by women will increase in this election. “Bypolls to Shiroda in south Goa and Mandrem and Mapusa Assembly seats in north Goa will be held on April 23, along with the Lok Sabha polls. Nominations should be filed by March 28, while the last date for withdrawal is April 8. The counting will be held on May 23,” he said.
In Shiroda and Mandrem constituencies, bypolls were necessitated following the resignation of two Congress MLAs last year, who joined the BJP. The by-election to Mapusa came up after the sitting MLA from the BJP and former Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza died following prolonged illness earlier this year.
Goa BJP general secretary Sadanand Shet Tanavde said, “We were expecting a slightly early date. But April 23 is good enough. The party is ready for the Lok Sabha elections and the bypolls to the three Assembly constituencies.”
Goa Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar said, “We were expecting the announcement to be made much earlier. In the next four to five days, our candidates will be announced.”
