Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: Women voters are set to play a decisive role in the upcoming Zilla Panchayat elections in Canacona, where they outnumber male voters by 754 across the Khola and Poinguinim constituencies.
A total of 30,966 voters from Canacona taluka and one village of Quepem taluka are eligible to cast their vote in the December 22 ZP polls. Of these, 15,860 are women and 15,106 are men, giving women a clear numerical advantage.
In the Poinguinim ZP constituency, voter strength stands at 16,820, comprising 8,131 male and 8,669 female voters. The constituency includes 31 polling stations across the panchayats of Poinguinim, Loliem-Polem, Gaondongrim and Khotigao. The Poinguinim seat is unreserved and open to the General category.
The Khola ZP constituency has 14,146 voters, with 6,975 male and 7,171 female electors. The constituency covers four panchayats—Shristhal, Agonda, Khola and Betul-Naqueri—and will have 22 polling stations. The seat is reserved for Women-OBC, further amplifying the influence of female voters.
In a first-of-its-kind administrative setup, the election authorities have assigned dedicated officers solely responsible for conducting the ZP elections. Grade-I officer Vipul Naik Gaunkar has been appointed Returning Officer, while Canacona BDO Pranit Naik has been designated as the AERO for both constituencies.
