MARGAO
A peculiar situation stares at the seven-member Carmona village panchayat body ahead of the election of a new sarpanch on September 7.
Perhaps for the first time in recent times, only four panchayat members will be eligible to vote for electing the village sarpanch and the candidate eyeing the post is required to garner only two votes, besides his/her own vote. The effective strength of the panchayat body is reduced to five, following the death of a member, Josinho Mendes, and resignation by another member Benicio Carvalho.
The third member Allwyn George is unlikely to be present for voting as he has proceeded on leave and is likely to resume duties only sometime in October.
The election for the sarpanch has been necessitated following the sudden resignation of Sarpanch Savita Mascarenhas on health grounds.
What’s interesting to note is that the outgoing sarpanch, besides Josinho Mendes, Benicio Carvalho and Allwyn George were all backed by the Carmona Villagers Social Welfare Forum in the panchayat elections held last year. The group, however, has been virtually reduced to a minority in the seven-member body with two members no more members of the body and Allwyn George parting ways with the forum after the election.
The prevailing situation in the panchayat has shifted the focus to the remaining three members, deputy Sarpanch Vialona Fernandes, Sandra Martins and ex-Sarpanch Winston Dias.
What’s significant to note is that these three members do not belong to one group.
Panch Sandra, the only member in the panchayat is aligned to the Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao camp.
When The Goan called up Sandra, she said the members have received the notices of the election only on Tuesday. “For the moment, I have no idea how the four members will go about in electing the new sarpanch. We have not discussed the election,” Sandra said.
Though Sandra, Winston and deputy Sarpanch Vialona are not members of any group, the trio, however, were not aligned to the group backed by the Carmona Villagers Social Welfare
Forum, which had extended support to certain candidates in last year’s panchayat election.
The seven-member Carmona panchayat already had two sarpanchas since the elections held last year.
