Coronavirus: October 18 polls to 11 Goa municipal bodies postponed

Panaji: The Goa State Election Commission on Monday postponed elections to 11 Municipal councils, scheduled for October 18, by three months due to the involvement of government machinery in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Every day, new coronavirus cases are being reported; the government is managing the cases, but over the last month or so we have not seen any respite. We thought that it is just not advisable to go ahead with the elections, for now," State Election Commissioner RK Srivastava said, adding that people should not risk their lives during a democratic process.

"So the SEC today announces the postponement of the elections to 11 Municipal Councils by three months," Srivastava added.

More than 100 persons have died of Covid-19 in the coastal state, while the total tally of cases has reached 11,639, amid a sustained spike in the rate of infections.

The state was forced to cancel the Zilla Panchayat polls in March after the central government ordered the Janta Curfew across the country in its bid to arrest the spread of the viral infection.