VASCO
Barely two months after MMC Chairperson Bhavna Nanoskar was elected the 49th chairperson of Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC), political instability came to the fore yet again when 13 councillors on Monday moved a no-confidence motion against her.
The no-confidence motion submitted to the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) has been signed by councillors Leo Rodrigues, Murari Bandekar, Krishna Salkar, Dhanpal Swamy, Sandesh Mesta, Shashikant Parab, Saifullah Khan, Rochana Borker, Sarita Palkar, Lavina D’Souza, Kritesh Gaonkar, Damodar Kaskar and Pascoal D’Souza.
In their no-confidence motion, the 13 councillors accused Nanoskar of failing to take councillors into confidence in the matters pertaining to MMC. They also alleged that Nanoskar was behaving arrogantly, arbitrarily and unilaterally with councillors and public. The letter also stated that Nanoskar is inefficient and ignorant about the rules and regulations and tried to misuse powers bestowed under the law.
Incidentally, of the 13 councillors who moved a no-confidence motion against Nanoskar, 12 councillors had got Nanoskar elected as chairperson in the election on August 2 by a margin of one vote against Fredrick Henriques.
While the new ruling panel had boasted of unity and development and even welcomed councillor Lavina D’Souza in the group, all did not go well among the councillors and chairperson, with differences coming to the fore at the noisy council meeting on Monday afternoon.
Sources said that there was a lot of resentment over the alleged interference of Nanoskar’s husband, himself a former councillor, in MMC matters which did not go well in the ruling camp.
Sources further informed that ward 8 councillor Murari Bandekar is being tipped as a possible candidate for the chairperson’s post among the group of councillors who moved a no-confidence motion against Nanoskar.
“Bandekar was instrumental in the one-vote margin leading to the victory of Nanoskar against Henriques and was earlier assured to be made chairperson in a pre-election deal by the ruling panel,” said a source close to the ruling panel.
