MARGAO
Spouses and kith and kin of political heavyweights from Salcete have made it to the panchayat bodies this time round.
If former Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao’s daughter Sharon made her debut in the Varca panchayat, wives of former Nuvem MLAs, Wilfred D’Sa and Mickky Pacheco have made it to the Nuvem and Betalbatim village panchayats respectively.
After her election, an elated Sharon said the victory goes out to the people of Navanguly ward, assuring them that the work in the ward starts from today. While thanking her husband and mother’s family for working hard for her victory, Sharon said people have voted for her as the daughter of Navanguly and not as a daughter of a politician.
Viola Pacheco won by a comfortable margin of votes to make her debut in the Betalbatim panchayat. After her election, she thanked the people and the almighty behind her success, saying she would not impose her views on the people of the ward. Mickky, who was spotted outside the counting centre, said the people have all supported and voted Viola to the panchayat.
For Wilfred’s wife Freda, this is not the first time she has won the panchayat polls. In fact, she has been a member of the Nuvem panchayat thrice, and she has only bettered her own record by winning this time round.
South Goa district Congress chief Savio D’Silva was all smiles at the counting centre at the Navelim indoor stadium on Friday after news trickled out that his wife had won the election from Ward Zaino. Savio was the sarpanch of Velim and had completed a five-year term in office.
