MARGAO
On a day when the Director of Municipal Administration Gurudas Pilarnekar announced the election for the vacant post of Margao Municipal Chairperson, hectic behind the scene political activity was witnessed in the commercial capital on Monday with City fathers aligned to the BJP and Goa Forward going into a huddle with party leaders.
That the key players have taken the ensuing polls for the vacant post seriously is evident by the fact that senior leaders of the BJP and Goa Forward had separate interactions with the party-backed councillors on Monday evening.
If senior BJP leaders comprising former deputy chief minister Manohar Ajgaonakr, party general secretary Damu Naik, Margao BJP block committee chief Rupesh Mahatme, Sharmad Raiturkar and others went into a huddle with the nine BJP-backed councillors at the party's district office, the Goemkar Ghor of Goa Forward played host to the eight party-backed councillors as party chief Vijai Sardesai went about discussing the ensuing polls.
Even as the Digambar Kamat-backed Model Margao group has zeroed in on two-time councillor Damu Shirodkar for the vacant post, both the BJP and Goa Forward preferred to keep their cards close to their chests.
The BJP group, sources said, took stock of the emerging political developments in the Margao civic body on Monday, but has decided to adopt a wait and watch approach before taking any decision.
BJP Mandal president Rupesh Mahatme said the party leaders took stock of the situation in the Margao Municipal Council with the Director of Municipal Administration calling for the election for the vacant post.
“We have not decided on our strategy how to go about with the election. We have nine members in the 25-member municipal body. We will meet again to take a call," Mahatme said.
On the other hand, Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai reviewed the situation with his eight-member group of councillors on Monday evening at the Goemkar Ghor.
“We have assessed the situation and have taken feedback from the party-backed councillors on how to go about with the election,” he said.
Sources in the know pointed out that a section of Goa Forward-backed councillors have expressed their reservations to the party chief over the question of supporting the Digambar Kamat-backed candidate for the coveted post against the backdrop of strong speculations that the Margao MLA is on his way out of Congress to join BJP.
Election for the MMC Chairperson’s vacant post has assumed importance over a host of questions. One, whether the pre-election alliance between Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and his Fatorda counterpart Vijai Sardesai under the banner of Margao Civic Alliance (MCA) continues in the civic body, or will the Goa Forward weigh other options in the light of speculations over Kamat’s future in the Congress, and, whether the BJP with nine members will return at the helm of Margao Municipal affairs in the event the MCA alliance between Digambar and Vijai crumbles.
Who will propose candidature of Independent Ganashyam?
MARGAO:
The million-dollar question that has come to haunt Margao Municipal City Fathers is who will propose the candidature of Independent Ganashyam Shirodkar for the post of Margao Municipal Chairperson.
This question has assumed significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the remaining 24 councillors in the 25-member Margao civic body are aligned either to the BJP, Goa Forward and the Model Margao group of Margao MLA Digambar Kamat.
Till Monday evening, neither the BJP nor the Goa Forward was willing to propose Ganashyam’s candidate to take on Kamat-back Margao Model’s candidate Damu Shirodkar.
In fact, questions are being raised about whether the BJP will be ready to support Ganashyam’s candidature in the event one of the Goa Forward-backed councillors proposes his candidature.
Similarly, questions are being asked in political circles whether Goa Forward will back Ganashyam in the event his candidature is proposed by anyone of the BJP-backed councillors, as that would only dish out an impression that the Goa Forward is helping the BJP to win the election.
Political observers are trying to figure out how MLA Digambar Kamat will react in the event any one of the Goa Forward councillors propose Ganashyam Shirodkar, not ruling out the possibility of the collapse of Digambar-Vijai’s Margao Civic Alliance (MCA).
Again, in such a scenario, political observers do not rule out the possibility of the BJP fielding its candidate for the vacant post, in the event of the collapse of the MCA alliance.
DMA CONVENES MEETING OF MMC ON SEPT 16 TO ELECT NEW CHIEF
MARGAO
Director of Municipal Administration Gurudas Pilarnekar on Monday issued a notice convening a special meeting of the Margao Municipal Council on September 16 at 11 am to elect a new Municipal Chairperson.
The Municipal Director has appointed South Goa Additional Collector-I Srinet Kotwale as the presiding officer to preside over the conduct of the special meeting.
The notice further stated that the nomination papers for the office of the Chairperson may be delivered to the Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer at his office at any time before noon on September 15.
Forms of nominations for the elections of the chairperson will be available in the office of the Margao Municipal Council, the notice stated.
