Will TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai settle for Scheduled Tribes leader and senior Margao Municipal Councillor Tito Cardozo to fill up the vacant post of Margao Municipal Council Vice-Chairperson? This question is doing the rounds in the corridors of the Margao civic body with the Director of Municipal Administration Ashok Kumar, fixing the election for the vacant post on July 11.
Fatorda Forward has given its stamp of approval for Cardozo’s candidature
the goan I network
MARGAO
The TCP minister, who is presently holed up in Vancouver-Canada, is scheduled to return to Goa on July 10, a day ahead of the election for the vacant seat. Sources close to the TCP minister informed that Sardesai and the Fatorda Forward group has almost given its stamp of approval for Tito’s candidature to succeed outgoing MMC Vice-Chairperson Doris Texeira.
Many in the corridors of the civic body had initially presumed that the TCP minister would leave the choice of the Vice-Chairperson’s candidate to the BJP, Goa Forward party’s alliance partner in the State government headed
by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Subsequent developments have, however, indicated that the Goa Forward supremo has decided that his group retains the post. There were clear indications that the city BJP leader and senior councillor Rupesh Mahatme may stake claim for the vacant post, but the government subsequently protected Mahatme’s interest by inducting him
on the re-constituted South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGDPA) as
a member.
Local political observers say that Tito has turned out to be the first choice for the TCP minister on two counts: One, sources said the TCP minister was keen in maintaining the communal balance of power in the civic body, where the two top posts of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson were occupied by members of the two communities. After the exit of Doris, Sardesai had to settle for a member of the minority community to maintain the delicate balance, with sources saying that Tito may perfectly fit the bill given his ST background, while Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai hailing from the Saraswat community.
Secondly, and more importantly, sources said Tito’s candidature may again fit in Sardesai’s agenda post March-11 after he along with two other Goa Forward
party legislators joined hands with the BJP, a decision considered unpopular by many in Fatorda.
Son of senior Congress veteran, and three-time former MLA and Minister, Luis Alex Cardozo, Tito had stood by Sardesai during the 2017 Assembly election, despite the fact that the Congress had fielded a ST candidate in Joseph Silva. In fact, acknowledging the support extended to him by the ST community leaders, Sardesai had promised to suitably reward the councillors belonging to the ST in the Margao Municipal Council.
In the 25-member Margao municipal body, the Fatorda Forward enjoys a pre-eminent position with as many as 12 councillors, followed by the BJP group with seven, Digambar Kamat’s group with five and an Independent.
According to local political observers Tito has turned out to be the first choice for the TCP minister on two counts
The TCP minister after the exit of Doris, has to settle for a member of the minority community to maintain the delicate balance, with sources saying that Tito may perfectly fit the bill given his ST background
Sources say Tito’s candidature may again fit in Sardesai’s agenda post March-11 after he along with two other Goa Forward party legislators joined hands with the BJP
