MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Lyndon Pereira seems finally on his way out after the Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai on Sunday asserted that he would honour his word given to his Margao counterpart Digambar Kamat that Pereira will step down from office after presiding over the post for 15 months.
At an interaction with the group of Margao Municipal councillors aligned to Goa Forward held at his office here on Sunday, which was also attended by the MMC chairperson, Sardesai is believed to have made it amply clear that he would keep his word that Chairperson Lyndon would step down from office after 15 months.
Given that Lyndon’s 15-month stint in office ends on August 28, sources pointed out that the chairperson may preside over the Monday meeting of the Council for the last time in his tenure. For, the Goa Forward chief has told his group of councillors that the chairperson would have to step down from office in a day or two after presiding over the Monday meeting to facilitate election of a new MMC chairperson.
Given that the Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and his group of councillors could not attend the meeting due to some preoccupation, sources, however, pointed out that councillors from both groups may meet again on Monday morning before the Council meeting to discuss the issue of chairperson and items listed on the agenda.
When contacted, the Goa Forward chief said there’s no question of Lyndon staying put on the Chairperson’s chair after he completes 15 months in office. “At a meeting with our councillors on Sunday, I have made it amply clear that we will not go back on our word on the question of the MMC chairperson,” he said, adding that Lyndon will soon put in his papers.
As per the understanding reached between the Goa Forward and the Model Margao panel floated by Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, the post of chairperson will go for the Goa Forward candidate given that that Sardesai’s panel had won nine seats as against eight candidates that got elected on the Model Margao panel. The understanding, however, mandated the Goa forward chairperson’s candidate, Lyndon Pereira to step down from office after 15 months to facilitate the candidate from the Kamat camp to take over the reins of office.
