the goan I network
MARGAO
November 22 will be D-day for Margao city fathers as well as their political godfathers as the Director of Municipal Administration has zeroed in on this day to hold elections for the post of Margao Municipal chairperson.
While Goa Forward has announced young first-time councilor Pooja Naik as the group’s candidate for the vacant post, the Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat-backed six member group of councilors are meeting on Tuesday to decide whether to field a candidate and zero in on the person concerned.
On the other hand, the BJP, which has seven councilors in the 25-member Civic body, has reiterated that since the group has no adequate numbers of its own to win the seat, it will not field a candidate for the post of chairperson.
When The Goan contacted Kamat to shed light on his group’s strategy for the ensuing elections, he said the councilors owing allegiance to him will meet on Tuesday to take a call on how to go about the ensuing election.
“The group will meet tomorrow and take a stand whether to field a candidate or not and also decide will be the group’s candidate,” Kamat said.
With his group enjoying the support of just six councilors in the 25-member civic body, the Congress councilors cannot hope to wrest control of the council from the Goa Forward unless it receives blessing and support from the seven member BJP group.
Kamat and his group will also have to take into account whether all the seven BJP-backed councilors are united in their stand to keep the Goa Forward at bay.
For, the BJP house seemed totally divided in either supporting the Kamat-back group or taking the support of the Congress for the simple reason that the Congress has been the party’s political enemy.
Sources in the know further said that reports that the BJP and the Congress councilors made common cause against the Goa Forward-led council, more so over the statue of Jack Sequeira, did not go down well with Congress leaders, who say the party should have no truck with the divisive forces.
Incidentally, caste and political equations have come to the fore in the run-up to the elections for the vacant post of MMC chairperson.
With Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai flaunting the Bahujan Samaj card by fielding young Pooja Naik, with a view to woo members of the Bhandari Samaj from other groups towards Pooja, rival groups have only slammed the GFP for indulging in cheap caste politics to retain hold over the civic body.
In the 25-member body, GFP has 11 councilors, one down after one of its councilors Clara Fernandes moved out of the group. However, BJP-backed councilor Raju Shirodkar shifted allegiance to the party in support of Naik’s candidacy.
On the other hand, the Kamat group has around six councilors, while the BJP has seven councilors in the 25-member body.
