the goan I network
MARGAO
As Margao Municipal chairperson Babita Prabhudesai finally demitted office on Friday, the Margao Civic body’s record of sorts remains unbroken “ no Margao Municipal Chairperson has ever completed a full-term in office over the last four decades.
A glance at the scroll of honour put up in the chamber of the Municipal Chairperson shows that the Margao Civic body was ruled by personalities such as Vasudeva Sarmalkar, Dr Gopal Vaidya and Gajanand Gaundalkar in the 70’s and popular figures including Valmiki Faleiro, Ajit Hegde and others in the mid-80’s, but none of them had the distinction of presiding over the civic body for a full five-year term.
In fact, amongst the 27 municipal chairpersons who had the privilege of presiding over the reigns of the Margao Municipal Council since the time of Vasudeva Sarmalkar in 1970 till date, one could find only two municipal chairpersons, both women, who ruled over the municipality for over four years. Former chairperson Kamlini Painginkar came close to creating history, before being dislodged from office, just four months before she could complete her term. Babita Prabhudesai too has demitted office after presiding over the civic body for four years.
A further glance at the statistics revealed as many as six municipal chairpersons, including Gajanan Gaundalkar, who held the office twice, presided over the affairs of the Municipality between 1970-81.
The next council formed after a five-year rule by the government-appointed administrators, saw three chairpersons -- Valmiki Faleiro, Ajit Hegde and Santosh Raiturkar -- ruling the civic body for a five-year period between 1985-90, before the civic body came under the rule of administrators again between 1990-95.
Incidentally, the period from 1970 to 81 and then from 1985-90 saw as many as nine chairpersons presiding over the civic body, before the game of musical chairs came to haunt the civic body between 1995 till date. A glance at the record showed that as many as 18 councilors rose to become municipal chairpersons during the last 19 years, indicating that rotation of the much-sought after chair was literally the norm than an exception in the civic body.
Barring the period between 2000-05, when Kamlini Painginkar almost completed her five year tenure, before she was being dislodged by Doris Texeira after local MLA Digmabar Kamat quit the BJP to embrace the Congress, the council literally witnessed a game of musical chairs thereafter.
The hot seat was occupied by as many as five chairpersons each in as many years between 1995-2000, 2005-2010 and 2010-2015.
Incidentally, as the civic body braces up to elect its 28th chairperson later this month, questions are being raised in the municipal corridors whether the current term, which will end in October next year, will see only two chairpersons or more given the political instability staring at the council.
