PANAJI
The March 11 election to the Corporation of the City of Panaji is turning out to be a spectacle of head-on political battles between about a dozen doyens of the capital city's civic politics, including several ex-mayors.
Former mayor and seven-terms councillor Surendra Furtado will face a direct fight with former deputy mayor Kabhir Pinto Makhija in Ward No 9.
Another tough battle to watch will be between Dr Sheetal Naik of the Ami Panjekar panel and Bento Lorena in ward No. 6. Naik, a two-time ex-councillor of the CCP is making a comeback after sitting out for a term and declining to contest in 2021.
Another interesting one-to-one battle is shaping up in ward No. 13 where former Mayor Uday Madkaikar faces a stiff challenge from the Ami Panjekar panel's candidate Nilkant Chari. In Ward No. 17 the battle is between Jack Ajit Sukhija, a scion of Dr Jack de Sequeira and Edward Jorge, a two-time councillor from the BJP-backed Monserrate-led panel.
Mayor Rohit Monserrate, who was expected to face no hurdles in his ward number 4 in Caranzalem could now be in a spot of bother with the late entry into the fray of former councillor Agnelo Silveira. The third candidate in this ward is John Po of Ami Panjekar panel.
