AGNELO PEREIRA
MAPUSA
In what appears to be an attempt to retain power within the four walls of the family, at least four sarpanchas and six former sarpanchas have taken a plunge in the panchayat elections in Bardez.
Besides, there are more than odd instances where brothers and brother and sister duo have also joined the family Raj brigade to contest the polls for the ensuing local self-governing bodies in the State.
The urge to maintain the power stranglehold within the family vary with reasons from as simple as their original wards being reserved for woman to bifurcation of their wards, to as bizarre as no one else wanted to contest from the ward.
In Arpora-Nagoa, current sarpanch, Mahima Korgaonkar is contesting from Ward 3 reserved for women, while her husband, Mahesh Korgaonkar, is contesting from the general Ward 7.
Curiously, an outgoing panch Roshan Redkar is contesting from Ward 7, while his wife, Deepika Redkar is contesting from Ward 3 in the same panchayat.
Similarly, Guirim sarpanch, Fondu Naik has thrown his hat in the ring and is contesting from Ward 6 (general), while his wife Milan Naik will be contesting from Ward 7 (general).
“Seriously, I am against family Raj. I wanted to give others a chance. But unfortunately at least four other candidates I approached either did not agree or backed out at the last minute. I had no other choice but to field my wife,” said Guirim Sarpanch Fondu Naik, who has supported candidates in other wards.
He further informed that his wife had twice contested the elections earlier and was also elected to the panchayat in 2007 polls.
The husband-wife duo who were former sarpanchas of Guirim “ Ongus Menezes (Ward 4, general) and Carmelina Menezes (Ward 5, woman) “ are again trying their luck this time round.
Interestingly, Eknath Oraskar, who completed the last five-year term as Saligao sarpanch in spite of the presence of two former sarpanchas in the panchayat, is contesting from Ward 7 (general), while his wife, Kalpana, is contesting from Ward 3 reserved for women.
Not to be left behind a mother-son duo is making a strong pitch in the Nerul Panchayat where the wards have been increased from seven to nine.
Nerul Sarpanch Shashikala Govekar is contesting from Ward 8 (woman), while her son, Sudhesh, is contesting from neighbouring Ward 7 reserved for OBC.
“Our ward has been bifurcated into two. So this time, my son will contest from the new ward created by the delimitation of the wards,” Sarpanch Shashikala Govekar said.
Former sarpanch, Piedade Almeida, and her husband, Narciso Almeida, is also making a determined bid to come back contesting from two separate wards of Nerul.
In 2012, the electorate had given the mandate to the husband-wife duo and Piedade went on to become the sarpanch of the village.
An influential politician, former sarpanch, Milton Marques and his wife, Vanessa Marques are making a renewed bid to contest from Verla-Canca Panchayat.
“My reputation is very high in the village. People wanted me to contest. And since my wife is also from the village she has also taken the plunge,” Marques said.
In a rather odd explanation, he said there were chances that he would get a posting in the government and therefore if he has to relinquish his membership from the panchayat, he needed to ensure that his wife remained at the helm of the panchayat affairs.
Another shrewd politician and former sarpanch, Victor D’Souza along with his wife, Josephine D’Souza is contesting in Assagao.
Similarly, former long-time sarpanch, Sylvester Fernandes and his wife, Fermina Fernandes is contesting from Siolim-Marna Panchayat, while ex-sarpanch, Gokuldas Kandolkar and his wife, Gitisha Kandolkar will be contesting from Sirsaim.
Two brothers “ Rajendra and Umakant Kudnekar “ are contesting in two separate wards in Sirsaim, while a brother-sister duo, Lavino Rebello and Lolita Dias is contesting from Anjuna-Caisua Panchayat.
Other husband-wife candidates include Sachin Sardessai and his wife, Sonam in Pilerne-Marra, former sarpanch Tulsidas Shinde and his wife Trupti in Tivim, ex-sarpanch Sandeep Chimulkar and his wife Pooja in Anjuna and Dy Sarpanch Lawrence Fernandes (brother of ex-MLA Agnelo Fernandes) and his wife Perpetua in Candolim.
