Panaji

The State Election Commission (SEC) on Saturday announced that elections for all 50 zilla panchayats in Goa will be held on December 20, with vote counting scheduled for December 22.

State Election Commissioner Menino D’Souza outlined the schedule, stating that nomination filing will begin on December 1 and continue until December 9. Scrutiny of the nomination papers will take place on December 10, while candidates may withdraw their nominations by December 11.

A total of 8,68,637 voters are eligible to participate, including 4,39,480 in North Goa and 4,29,157 in South Goa. Each candidate is permitted to spend a maximum of Rs 5 lakh during the campaign.

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The elections will be held on party symbols. Major parties in the fray include the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opposition Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Goa Forward Party (GFP), and Revolutionary Goans’ Party (RGP).