PANAJI
The exercise to elect sarpanchas and deputy sarpanchas on Monday turned out to be a mixed bag in terms of experienced village-level politicians and young first-timers taking the honours across the State's 186 panchayats.
In a majority of these panchayats, the top two posts went to the winners without any contest, indicating that the power play maneuvering was done well in advance, in many cases with the direct involvement of State level politicians, including Ministers and MLAs.
In the politically significant Salcete, many new faces have got propelled to panchayat hot seat. Past sarpanchas made a return in about one-third of the bodies which again mostly went without a contest.
The political affiliations of those who will hold power could not be ascertained for sure in all the 186 panchayats but by and large MLAs and ministers have managed to have favourable dispensations in most of the local self-governing bodies of their respective constituencies.
The elections were not fought on party lines, but the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has apparently got its cadres and supporters in the saddle in a majority of the panchayats.
There were several instances of kin of State-level politicians including MLAs and Ministers getting elected to one of the two top panchayat posts.
Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar's wife, Savita for instance was elected unopposed as sarpanch of Poinguinim. Daniel Lobo who is the son of Opposition Leader Michael Lobo and Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo was elected the deputy sarpanch in Parra and Nuvem got Freeda, the wife of former Nuvem MLA Wiflred D'Sa as its sarpanch.
Viola Pacheco, the wife of former minister Franciso Miccky Pacheco got elected as deputy sarpanch of Betalbatim.
Among those elected sarpanchas was 72-year-old Rukmini Gaonkar who will take charge of Kirlapal Dhabal panchayat.
In Tiswadi, there was bad news for the lone Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) MLA, Viresh Borkar as he managed to gain control of only one of the seven panchayats of his St Andre constituency. His predecessor Silveira is claiming control of the balance six.
There was bad news for Congress MLA Rudolf Fernandes in St Cruz as he could not get a toe-hold in any of the three panchayats -- St Cruz, Merces and Chimbel. Interestingly, Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, who now represents Panaji but held St Cruz for one term in 2012-17, has directly involved himself in the panchayat powerplay here.
Monserrate is said to have played a significant role in installing Sarpanchas and Deputy Sarpanchas in St Cruz and Chimbel but did not fully have his way in Merces.
In Cumbharjua, Congress MLA Rajesh Phaldesai is claiming that the dispensations in all panchayats of his constituency were aligned to him.
