The intense race to control the affairs of the five panchayat bodies in Navelim constituency continued for the third day, with both the Luizinho Faleiro camp and ex-Fisheries minister Avertano Furtado leaving nothing to chance in their battle for supremacy at the grassroots level.
the goan I network
MARGAO
While Avertano claimed that his men are at the helm of affairs of Davorlim and Rumdamol village panchayats, while also not ruling out the possibility of the Aquem-Baixo panchayat aligning with his camp, sitting Navelim MLA and Congress president Luizinho Faleiro on the other hand told The Goan that his supporters will control the affairs of all the five panchayats in
Navelim constituency.
Avertano’s office e-mailed photos of panchas elect from Davorlim as well as Rumdamol panchayat with him and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to prove a point or two that the two panchayats are going the ex-minister’s way. Faleiro, however, maintained that no matter the tall claims made by his predecessor, panch members from these panchayats have also called on him, and are willing to cooperate with their MLA to usher in the development of the villages.
The last two days saw Avertano in action, catching hold of the newly-elected members and ferrying them to the Chief Minister’s office. If as many as eight members of the Davorlim panchayat posed for a photograph with Avertano and the Chief Minister on Wednesday, five out of the seven newly-elected members of the Rumdamol panchayat followed suit on Thursday, conveying a message loud and clear to the rival camp that he is on the way to form the two panchayats.
The Navelim MLA, however, is not ready to concede defeat, even going to the extent of claiming that his supporters will take control over all the five panchayats. “Do you have any doubt as far as Telaulim is concerned? In Navelim, some of the panchas elect called on me today. At Davorlim, Rumdamol and Aquem-Baixo too, I am confident that our supporters will form the panchayats,”
Faleiro said.
