MAPUSA
Once again family politics is out in the open in Bardez taluka with several members of the same family throwing their hat in the ring in the panchayat elections to be held on Aug 10.
While the husband-wife duo corners the largest segment of the family raj politics, there are odd instances where a mother-daughter and sister-in-law and niece are also contesting the elections.
According to political observers, Panchayati Raj has attracted women to politics in large numbers and therefore several women can be seen coming in the open to contest the polls.
The seven-member Sirsaim panchayat takes the cake in family raj politics with four members of a family contesting from four different wards.
While former sarpanch Gokuldas Kandolkar is locked in a one to one fight in ward 3 of Sirsaim village panchayat, his wife is contesting from ward 2. Similarly, the ex-sarpanch’s niece Namrata Kandolkar is contesting from ward 1 and sister-in-law Gitanjali Kandolkar from ward 5.
In Siolim-Marna, the Fernandes couple has once again thrown their hats in the ring. Former long-time sarpanch, Sylvester Fernandes is contesting form ward 4 while his wife, Fermina Fernandes who was also a sarpanch is contesting from ward 8. Both had contested in the last panchayat election and won in their respective wards.
“We had no other choice as people wanted us to contest. Both me and my wife have been into social work for a very long time,” Sylvester Fernandes said.
In the adjacent village of Siolim-Sodiem, the Dias couple is making a strong bid to create history in the village. Former sarpanch Leo Dias is contesting from ward 3 while his wife Doris Dias has been fielded from ward 5. Incidentally, Doris Dias had unsuccessfully contested the Zilla Panchayat elections around three years ago.
Former sarpanchas of Tivim, the husband-wife duo “ Tulshidas Shinde and Trupti Shinde “ are re-contesting this time around from ward 8 and 10 respectively.
Similarly, former Guirim sarpanch, Fondu Naik has thrown his hat in the ring and is contesting from ward 7 while his wife Milan Naik will be contesting from ward 6. Last time too they contested from the same wards but the wards were interchanged.
A well-known leader in Guirim, Naik has supported several other candidates in the nine-member panchayat.
“I believe in giving equal opportunities to others. But since my wife has been active in social work and expressed her eagerness to contest there was no other way but to accept her wish,” Naik said.
Another husband-wife duo, who were former sarpanchas of Guirim “ Ongus Menezes (ward 5) and Carmelina Menezes (ward 4) “ are once again trying their luck this time around.
From Nerul panchayat, former sarpanch, Piedade Almeida and her husband, Narciso Almeida are also making a determined bid to get re-elected and are contesting from two separate wards.
In Verla-Canca, former panch member Vanessa Marques, wife of former sarpanch late Milton Marques is contesting from ward 5 while her daughter Nicole Marques is trying her luck from ward 6. Incidentally, Nicole was first elected as the panch member in the by-election after her father passed away in 2021.
Former sarpanch, Trupti Bandodkar and her husband, Ramnath Bandodkar is also contesting from two separate wards of Nachinola village while in Anjuna panchayat former panchayat member Pedro Mendonca and his wife Romaldina Mendonca are also contesting.
Similarly, the husband-wife duo of Anurag Gupta and Shalu Gupta are re-contesting from Penha-de-Franca panchayat while another couple Rajesh Sawaikar and Roshini Sawaikar have thrown their hats in the polling ring from the Salvador-do-Mundo panchayat.
