297 Female Candidates with 16 Topping the List

By Independent News Service 3 hours 14 minutes ago

No Less  than 297 women were voted in as announced on Monday, the results day for the village elections. This includes 16 who topped the list in several villages. A total of 1,174 women and 2,693 men stood as candidates in the 130 villages of the island on Sunday. The last to have its results out was Triolet which wrapped up at 6.45 pm. Social worker Georges Ah Yan, who gained prominence in the last general elections, failed to get himself elected at Mahébourg.

There was however a request for a recount in four villages namely, Quartier Militaire, Bois Cheri, Grand Bois, where the request was made twice and once in Mahébourg. This was confirmed by electoral commissioner Irfan Raman.

"This is an exceptional case and in Quartier Militaire there was a demand for a complete recount which the returning officer refused. It was an unreasonable demand and if candidates are unhappy, they can still go to the Supreme Court," Raman said.

The electoral commissioner explained that in Mahébourg there was a difference of ten votes between the last elected candidate and the first non-elected and that a demand for recount of votes was made after the result was proclaimed. "The result was already announced and we could not go back. The candidate can still seek the supreme court," he said.

Raman explained that the bulletins will be sealed, put in a stationery box and will be kept in the guarded room at the Special Mobile Force head quarters. He added that the box will be sealed with three padlocks and the bulletins will be kept for six months. "If there is no contestant by any candidate, then only will the bulletins be destroyed," the EC chief explained.

In the village of Goodlands, Anand Bahadoor of L’Alliance Travailleur Social de Goodlands topped the list with 2,910 votes where his party bagged the nine seats. In Poudre D’or, a woman candidate Jayshree Moodoosoodhun of Ekta Sangh topped the list with 739 votes while Vanesha Bhogun arrived on top with 1,576 votes in Riviére du Rempart.

Parti Action liberal led by Lutchmeeparsad Ramsahok, former minister in Sir Anerood Jugnauth’s government managed to get 14 members elected. 

 

 Reference : By Independent News Service