PANAJI
It will be a nail-biting battle for supremacy as two panels supported by BJP and Congress’ strongman Dharmesh Saglani are head to head in the upcoming municipal polls in Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s constituency.
As campaigning has moved into the final lap, the fight is nothing short of a political spectacle, with both panels leaving no stone unturned to clinch victory.
The political drama at the Sanquelim Municipal Council (SMC) has never failed to garner everyone’s attention. The civic body has been a witness to many dramas in the past, but this upcoming battle for the municipal polls is one for the books given that the last term saw many ups and downs.
Campaigns
In the fight where Saglani manages to take over the BJP, the ruling party is confident of a majority this time. “Our karyakartas have been tirelessly working along with their respective candidates. BJP has carried out works in every sector, which is why we are certain that the people of Sanquelim will make us victorious by a majority,” BJP spokesperson Giriraj Pai Vernekar said, speaking to The Goan.
On the day of releasing the final list of candidates on Friday, the party’s State President Sadanand Shet Tanavade camped in the constituency interacting with the voters and guiding the party-backed candidates during campaigning.
Saglani, on the other hand, claimed that in the “tough fight” candidates backed by his panel “ Together For Sanquelim - will emerge victorious.
“We have fielded the best candidates who have been working for the people of Sanquelim for several years. We will get the majority,” he claimed, speaking to The Goan.
The constituency is abuzz with activity as supporters from both sides are making their presence day and night rallying behind their candidates in each ward with fervour.
Fight for prestige
Indeed not his constituency alone, the entire State is bracing itself for a true test of the Chief Minister's mettle. Despite serving as the MLA since 2012, Sawant’s arch-rival Saglani has proven his prowess by winning the municipal areas with an iron grip. Holding power for over a decade proves it, even though BJP is working overtime to overthrow the Saglani-backed panel in the upcoming May 5 polls. Sawant has campaigned for the party-backed candidates before leaving for Karnataka to campaign for BJP in the assembly elections there, and thereafter Kerala.
The 2022 election saw a surprising turn of events because though Sawant managed to edge out Saglani by a slim margin, he was initially lagging in the polls. The first two phases covering the municipal areas saw Saglani leading the assembly seat only to be defeated in the final round when the panchayat areas were taken up for counting, which is where Sawant holds a stronghold. The municipal poll results on May 7 will give an ultimate clear picture.
The drama for control
In April 2021, the BJP and Congress engaged in a fierce battle which in fact was a culmination of the past 10 months' fight to take control of the 13-member SMC.
The battle began on June 9, 2020, when Dharmesh Sagalani's seven-year tenure as chairperson of SMC came to an end when he was ousted in a no-confidence motion by 7-5 votes, enabling a BJP-backed panel to take control of the municipal council.
Later on June 17, Yeshwant Madkar from the BJP-backed group was elected as the new SMC chairperson after defeating Dharmesh Saglani by 7-5 votes. There was also a change in the deputy chairperson when Kunda Madkar was ousted in a no-confidence motion by 7-6 votes on July 3 and Damodar Ghadi was elected as SMC deputy chairperson by 7-6 votes on July 22.
The council then lost one of its members when SMC Vice Chairperson Damodar Ghadi passed away on November 21, leaving the BJP and Congress panels tied with six members apiece. However, luck favoured the Congress-backed councillor Ansira Khan, when she was elected in a draw of lots to get elected as SMC deputy chairperson on December 17.
A bye-poll was conducted in Ward 9 as the seat had been vacant following the demise of Ghadi, and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant received a setback when Congress-backed candidate Rajendra Ameshkar defeated the BJP-backed candidate Dashrath Ajgaonkar by a slim margin of 17 votes on March 22.
The Congress-controlled SMC had already moved a no-confidence motion against SMC chairperson Yashvant Madkar. However, a lengthy delay in convening a meeting to decide on the motion led the Saglani-led panel to approach the High Court, with the court directing the no-confidence motion to be taken up for discussion.
The BJP panel then attempted to disqualify Congress-backed councillor Rajesh Sawal. However, the matter was challenged in the High Court and the court granted relief to Sawal, granting a stay on the disqualification till April 19, thereby enabling Sawal to take part in the no-confidence motion against Madkar.
