Panaji: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said that the elections for all the 186 panchayat bodies would be held on June 25, though the five year tenure of all the bodies would end on May 20.

“The elections for the panchayat bodies would be held on June 25. We have also decided to reduce the canvassing period from 15 to 10 days,” Parrikar told reporters yesterday.

Parrikar said the number of days for code of conduct would be only 20-22 days prior to the polling.

While state election commission had initially decided to hold polls by May end, Parrikar said the dates had to be postponed, “as majority of the government employees proceed on the leave during this time.”

He also said that the State government recently has made bureaucratic reshuffles due to which it was not possible to hold polls in May.

Giving another reason, Parrikar said, the State went through a busy poll schedule for Assembly election between January 4 to March 11, because of which the government machinery has been strained.

“We have to hold proper polls and not just conduct it. Holding polls by May month-end is neither conducive nor possible,” he said.

Team TNV