MARGAO
The sarpanch of the 11-member Raia panchayat Judas Quadros on Monday became the first village head in Salcete to be voted out in a no-confidence motion after the 2022 polls.
Judas bowed out of office after the no-confidence motion tabled by six out of the 11 panchas was carried by 7-4 votes. Not only the six signatories voted in support of the motion, but the opposition got an extra vote after the deputy sarpanch raised his hand.
In the bargain, Judas became the first sarpanch in Salcete to be voted out of the office in a no-trust motion post-panchayat polls.
After he was voted out, Judas told the waiting media that he does not agree with the reasons cited by the opposition he did not take the members into confidence.
“How can the opposition say I was not taking them into confidence when I was in office only for three months? There was no administration during the tenure of the administration, there was a backlog. It took the new body to clear the backlog. In between, the panchayat secretary had proceeded for training and the replacement was only clearing the routing work,” he said.
Judas further pooh-poohed the opposition's claim that he has not taken the members into confidence. I had a meeting of the ruling body at the residence of one of the members. “After the meeting, the member also signed on the no-trust motion,” he said.
To a question, Xavier said the motion was carried by 7 votes after the deputy sarpanch Godfrey Oswald D’Souza also supported the motion.
When asked whether there was any politics behind his ouster, Judas only said: "Politics is a race and there’s a prize only for one person and someone has to win the race.”
Opposition panch and former sarpanch Xavier Fernandes reiterated that Judas was not taking the members into confidence on the development front.
“As far as development works are concerned, there was no construction of the sluice gate, and the farmers wanted water. The sarpanch took lightly certain important works which required urgent attention,” Xavier said.
