MARGAO
The ruling BJP-backed Vibrant Margao panel was in a tizzy over the latest ward reservations notified by the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA). It had to virtually rule out some of the top city BJP leaders from the fray in the ensuing polls for the Margao Municipal Council.
As many as eight candidates, around one-third of the total, declared by the Vibrant Margao panel have been hit by the reservations.
Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar’s brother Rajendra, Margao BJP block president Rupesh Mahatme and general secretary Ketan Kurtarkar, both sitting councillors, sitting councillor Sugandha Bandekar, flamboyant BJP leader Arthur D’Silva, BJP Fatorda youth president Amay Karmali, besides Prabhav Naik, the grandson of former minister late Babu Naik are some of the prominent faces in the BJP camp, who have received a big jolt by the ward reservations.
Stunned by the ward reservations, some of the candidates unveiled by the BJP under the Vibrant Margao panel declined to comment when the news started trickling on the ward reservations.
Even Chairman of Vibrant Margao Damu Naik initially said the party is examining the issue, even as the BJP leadership was seen grappling with the issues thrown up by the reservations.
The Margao BJP camp was looking forward to retaining Wards 13 and 17 represented by sitting councillors Ketan Kurtarkar and Rupesh Mahatme, besides ward no 22, where late Babu Naik’s grandson Prabhav had planned to make his political debut.
That’s not all. The party was hoping to win in Ward 14 where Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar’s brother Rajendra was finalized as the party-backed candidate.
While the Scheduled Castes got a reserved seat in Margao, perhaps for the first time, Ward 14 has been reserved for SC women, thus ruling out Rajendra’s candidature.
In the Fatorda area too, the BJP has suffered a jolt as party candidates, including flamboyant former chairperson Arthur D’Silva, party block president Amay Karmali and sitting councillor, Curtorim area, Sugandha Bandekar, have all been ruled out of the fray after the latest reservations.
Besides, party leader Damu Naik will have to look out for a new candidate for Ward 4, which was earlier reserved for ST and has now been allotted to the OBC.
