Canacona, Oct 28 (TOI): It's a stalemate in the 10-ward Canacona municipal council (CMC).

Panels led by sports and youth affairs minister Ramesh Tawadkar and Vijay Pai Khot have won five seats each. By Wednesday morning, it will be clear which of the panels will form the council.

While neither of the panels has got a majority to form the council, leaders of both exuded confidence in forming the council. Thanks to the tie, attempts to get support of the candidates of the rival panel started immediately after the municipal results were out on Tuesday.

Elected candidates claimed of getting calls from the rival panel to make a switch. A source said, tonight will be the night of action when both panels will try their best to rope in elected candidates from the opposite side.

Former MLA Vijay Pai Khot, who claimed to have received no support from any political party and backed by only like-minded people, reportedly stated that if his panel is elected to power, his first preference for the post of chairperson will be Prarthana Naik Gaonkar, who was elected unopposed.

Sport and youth affairs minister Ramesh Tawadkar said former MLAs Isidore Fernandes and Vijay Pai Khot came together, keeping aside their enmity to defeat him. Five candidates backed by them have been elected.

Tawadkar said if his panel forms the council, he would support the candidature of Neetu Sameer Dessai for the post of chairperson.