Panaji: The state government has received suggestion from the State Election Commission (SEC) to consider holding the deferred Zilla Panchayat (ZP) polls by November end or early December after assessing the COVID-19 situation in Goa.
A highly placed source in the government said the SEC has opined that the election process including counting of votes should be concluded by December 15 so as to avoid a clash of polling dates with Christmas, New Year or any other day of public importance.
The source said the government will take into consideration all the factors including safety of the electorate before taking any decision on the ZP elections.
It is pertinent to note that the Commission had on March 20 deferred the ZP elections in view of the decision communicated by the state government. The particular decision was taken by the Goa government following instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government over the threat of spread of the dreaded COVID-19.
The source further said the general elections to the 11 municipal councils, which were postponed on August 17 for a period of three months by the SEC, could be held along with the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) election in January-February early next year.
When asked whether both, the ZP polls and the municipal elections can be held simultaneously, the source said, “It is up to the government to take a call. However, as of today, there are no such discussions at the government level.”
