PANAJI/MARGAO
Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai on Thursday gave his assent and promulgated the The Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022 (Ordinance 3 of 2022).
The ordinance was controversially approved by the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant by circulation earlier this week.
It provides for elections to posts of chairperson and vice-chairperson in civic bodies to be conducted by 'show of hands'.
Earlier, election of chairperson was conducted by secret ballot. This new system will be first implemented to elect chairperson of Margao Municipal Council, where ruling party faced embarrassment after its candidate suffered a defeat at the hands of Goa Forward-backed Independent Ganashyam Shirodkar by 15-10 votes due to cross-voting by five BJP-backed councillors.
Meanwhile, the countdown for the crucial election for the post of Margao municipal chairperson has begun with the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) on Thursday issuing a notice for the election scheduled for October 12.
The election will take place in the Margao municipality at 11 am on October 12.
Election for the Margao Municipal Chairperson’s had generated much interest not only in the commercial capital, but across the State as the government came out with an Ordinance to decide election of the new Chairperson by show of hands.
As things stand today, the BJP-backed group in the 25-member Margao Civic body is enjoying an upper hand in the number game. For, the BJP’s strength in the Margao Municipality has swelled to 15 last month after seven-time Congress MLA Digambar Kamat had joined the BJP along with seven other Congress defectors. The Goa Forward-backed group in the Civic body enjoys the support of 10 councillors.
The BJP, however, had faced an unprecedented embarrassment when the party suffered a defeat at the hands of Goa Forward-backed Independent Ganashyam Shirodkar for the Chairperson’s post on September 16 when the latter emerged triumphant by 15-10 votes due to cross voting by five BJP-backed councillors.
Red faced over the shock defeat, the BJP top leadership led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Cong-turned-Margao MLA got its act together to table a no-trust motion against Ganashyam Shirodkar, which was later carried by 15-0 votes as Ganashyam and the remaining nine councillors had abstained from the meeting.
Earlier, the Goa Forward had telephonically taken an appointment with Goa governor with a plea not to give his accent to the proposed Ordinance to do away with voting by secret ballot.
Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai informed he spoke to the Goa governor, who is presently in his native state of Kerala and is expected to come to Goa in a day or two. “I have sought an appointment with the Governor over the government’s Ordinance on election for municipal chairperson’s post. We will request the governor not to give his accent to the Ordinance”, he said.
Sardesai said he has briefed the Governor how the proposed Ordinance has shaken up the conscience of the society right from activists to journalist to the Civil Society and present and former Councilors. “I have informed the Governor there’s no emergency in coming out with the Ordinance and the only objective before the government to get the Ordinance was to have the election of the MMC Chairperson’s post by show of hands”, he said.
