MARGAO
The Aquem-Baixo village panchayat made headlines on Friday when members re-elected the very person they had removed from office in a no-confidence motion last month as the village sarpanch.
In a surprising turn of events, outgoing Sarpanch Floriano Danny Fernandes returned to the position less than a month after being voted out in mid-February.
Adding to the drama, Floriano was elected unopposed after another candidate withdrew from the contest.
The political situation in Aquem-Baixo came full circle due to disagreements among the five-member group over who should take the vacant sarpanch post and how to rotate leadership among them.
Sources said former Sarpanch Avinash Sardesai, Inacio Dias, Pooja Naik, Deputy Sarpanch Natasha Dias, and Amisha Tilve could not agree on a candidate for the role or on who should take over next.
Until Thursday evening, intense behind-the-scenes discussions were held to reach a consensus, but no solution was found. Meanwhile, two members of the group that had previously ousted Floriano approached him, offering their support for his re-election as sarpanch.
A local villager pointed out that this could be the first time in the village’s recent political history that a sarpanch removed from office has been re-elected by the same members who voted against him.
Floriano was first elected as Aquem-Baixo sarpanch on 28 August last year through a draw of lots. However, before completing five months in office, five panchayat members—Inacio Dias, Pooja Naik, Avinash Sardesai, Deputy Sarpanch Natasha Dias, and Amisha Tilve—moved a no-confidence motion against him on 6 February.
They accused him of lacking transparency and accountability in the panchayat’s functioning. The motion stated that he had failed to ensure fair allocation of resources, struggled with decision-making, and did not communicate effectively with other members and the public.
On Friday, at least two of the signatories of the motion switched sides, clearing the way for Floriano’s unopposed return as sarpanch.
