Sanguem Municipal Council Chairperson Santiksha Gadkar, along with Municipal Officer Siddharth Prabhu and Municipal Engineer Viraj Bolnekar, congratulates newly elected Vice Chairperson Iqbal Sayyed.
Iqbal Sayyed was unanimously elected as the new vice chairperson of Sanguem Municipal Council (SMC).
Following the resignation of SMC Vice Chairperson Sangameshwar Naik, an election was scheduled to fill the vacant post. Initially, both Sayyed and D’Costa had filed nominations. However, when Election Officer and Sanguem Deputy Collector Milind Velip clarified that the selection would be conducted through a show of hands rather than a formal voting process, D’Costa chose to withdraw his candidature, effectively paving the way for Sayyed’s appointment.
Explaining his decision, Councillor Meshu D’Costa noted that the council comprises seven ruling members and three opposition members. Despite holding a majority, the ruling councillors had earlier united to move a no-confidence motion against Naik. Subsequent political developments, however, led to the withdrawal of the motion, following which Naik stepped down.
D’Costa said he had entered the fray to avoid an uncontested win for the ruling group and to highlight the lack of unity within it. Although he claimed the support of seven councillors, he withdrew from the race after the change in the selection process, stating that he did not want ruling members to be drawn into political complications.
In his response, Iqbal Sayyed expressed gratitude to Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai and fellow councillors for giving him the opportunity to serve as Vice Chairperson for a second term. He also emphasised that all members are working in unity.
SMC Municipal Officer Siddharth Prabhu and Municipal Engineer Viraj Bolnekar were present during the proceedings.
