the goan I network
MARGAO
Goa Forward-backed candidate Pooja Naik on Wednesday filed her nomination for the vacant post of Margao Municipal Council, even as she along with outgoing Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai made a plea to the remaining councilors to examine their conscience and vote for the young candidate.
Babita went a step ahead and slammed what she termed as an unholy alliance between the two national parties, the Congress and BJP to thwart the installation of Jack Sequeira’s statue and name a road in Fatorda after former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Accompanied by acting chairperson Tito Cardozo, Babita, Zita Crasto and Raju Shirodkar, Pooja handed over two sets of nomination papers to Chief Officer Sidhivinayak Naik.
After filing her nomination, Pooja told the waiting media that her candidature has been supported by her colleagues in the council as well as Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai.
While exuding confidence of winning the election scheduled on November 22, Pooja said the remaining councilors should examine their conscience and support her candidature. “I am confident that the councilors in the other group will also support my candidature,” she said.
While asking the scribes to have patience on the numbers with just a day to go for the election, Pooja said that outgoing MMC chairperson Babita is fully supporting her candidature.
Babita said the Goa Forward is the single largest group in the MMC with 11 councilors, adding that tally of the group has gone up to 12 now with councilor Raju Shirodkar extending his support.
Saying that she had resigned to send a message to the opposition that there would be no compromise on Jack Sequeira’s statue and naming of the road after Manohar Parrikar, Babita said the Goa Forward will win the MMC election and not allow any dilution in the resolution on the statue and road naming.
“For the first time in history, two ideologically opposite groups have come together for petty political gains in the civic body. People of Salcete and Margao are watching this unholy alliance. There was nothing wrong in the installation of Sequeira’s statue or naming a road after Parrikar. Both have contributed a lot to protect Goa’s identity and usher development,” she added.
