MARGAO
Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat was in smiles on Friday after the 15 BJP-backed councillors descended at his Malbhat residence after voting out the Goa Forward-backed Margao Municipal Chairperson Ganashyam Shirodkar.
Kamat, however, preferred to tread a cautious path on the shortlisting of the candidate to contest the vacant post of MMC chairperson, making it clear that the candidate selection is not in his hand alone, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, party leader Damu Naik now involved in the process.
He, however, hastened to add that the party leaders will zero in on the candidate by consensus. “There may be 10 councillors who have the interest in contesting the vacant post of MMC chairperson. We cannot comment on their ambition, but the decision on the candidate will be by consensus,” Kamat said.
Saying that he has no idea how the BJP-backed councillor had lost the chairperson’s election last week, but has today voted the civic chief Ganashyam Shirodkar out of office, Kamat said he cannot doubt all the 15 councillors behind the fiasco. “Maybe the ink used to cast the vote had shifted to the other candidate or had turned defective. I cannot doubt all the 15 councillors and I presume they have all voted, more so after they had gone to the Lord Dambab Temple at Zambaulim,” Kamat said, adding that he has given the councillors the benefit of doubt.
