MARGAO
Bharatiya Janata Party’s sudden decision to accord a rousing welcome to Margao Municipal Council independent councillor Mahesh Amonkar, a known Digambar Kamat baiter, into the party has raised eyebrows in political circles when speculations have been doing the rounds that the Margao MLA is on his way back into the ruling party.
The independent MMC councillor, who had made it to the Margao civic body in style by defeating the candidates fielded by Kamat and the BJP in the 2021 civic polls, joined the ruling party on Thursday. After making a debut in the civic body, Amonkar had turned out a bitter critic of the Margao MLA, leaving no stone unturned to direct his tirade at Kamat, going to the extent of contesting against the former Chief Minister in the 2022 Assembly polls on the TMC banner.
What, however, has raised eyebrows is that the party top leaders led by State BJP President Sadanand Tanavade as well as the Margao Mandal all welcomed councillor Amonkar into the party fold. Political observers pointed out that the induction programme was attended by ex-DyCM Manohar Ajgaonkar, who had unsuccessfully contested against Kamat from Margao in the last election, party general secretaries Damu Naik and Narendra Sawaikar, besides the Margao Mandal chief Rupesh Mahatme, general secretary Ketan Kurtarkar and party leader Sharmad Raiturkar, Sunil Naik, Chandan Nayak, Subodh Govekar, indicate there’s something more than meets the eye.
Raising further eyebrows is the fact that the State party leadership has inducted councillor Amonkar into the party when he has turned out Kamat’s sworn enemy coupled with the fact that the development has unfolded before Kamat would return back to the party fold, as is being speculated in political circles in recent days.
The development has only given weightage to reports that a section of the BJP State leadership as well as the party rank and file from Margao have expressed their strong reservations to Kamat’s return to the party fold. In fact, party leaders from Margao, who were believed to have called up State leaders to find out over Kamat’s return to the party-fold, were reportedly told that the State leadership is not aware of any such initiative from the Margao MLA.
BJP tally in civic body increases to nine, becomes single largest group
MARGAO: The ruling BJP has increased its tally in the Margao Municipal Council to nine members with the induction of Independent councillor Mahesh Amonkar in the party.
In fact, the BJP, which had won only seven seats in the 25-member civic body in the 2021 civic polls, is now the single largest group in the Margao Municipal Council with nine members. While Goa Forward councillor Shweta Lotlikar had joined the BJP in the run up to the 2022 Assembly polls, Mahesh Amonkar is the latest MMC councillor to embrace the ruling party.
The move assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the 15-month tenure of Goa Forward Party-backed Margao Municipal Chairperson Lyndon Pereira ends by the month-end. As per the agreement between Digambar Kamat and Vijai Sardesai, Lyndon has to step down from office after presiding over the post for 15 months and pave the way for a councillor from Kamat’s camp to take over the reigns. In the 25-member civic body, the BJP now enjoys the support of nine councillors, followed by Goa Forward (8), Digambar Kamat group (7) and one independent Ganashyam Shirodkar.
