Panaji: Polling for the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) elections began on Sunday at 8 AM with 21 per cent electorate casting their votes in the initial two hours.
"Polling has been peaceful across all the booths. Till 10 AM, total 21.2 per cent electorate had voted," District Election Officer Swapnil Naik said.
The CCP is a civic body covering Goa's capital. Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was among the first few to queue up in front of a booth to cast his vote.
"For Smart City you need smart council, and BJP will give that," Parrikar told reporters emerging from the polling booth.
The election, which comes about a year before the state Legislative Assembly polls, has become a prestige issue for the ruling BJP, which has fielded its candidates in all the 30 wards.
Congress' expelled legislator Atanasio Monserratte has also fielded candidates in all wards. The Opposition Congress has fielded nominees in nine wards. Total 31,648 voters are eligible to exercise their right to vote.
In all, 95 candidates are in the fray. The State Election Commission has identified 15 booths as sensitive and seven as vulnerable.
The District Collectorate has deployed three flying squads, one each looking after ten wards. Besides, nearly 178 police personnel have been deployed on poll duty.
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