VASCO
Mormugao taluka may have two ZP constituencies, but only voters of Cortalim ZP constituency will take part in the polls on Saturday and voters of Sancoale ZP constituency will have not have to exercise their franchise.
This is because the Cortalim ZP constituency is the only place which has already decided its elected representative, after BJP’s Anita Thorat had been declared elected unopposed on March 5.
The Congress had faced humiliation and backlash from party workers following a strange turn of events, when the Congress ZP candidate Ujwala Naik did not arrive to file her nomination from Sancoale ZP constituency, paving the way for BJP candidate Anita Thorat to win the Sancoale ZP seat unopposed.
On March 7, Thorat was awarded the ZP certificate by then Deputy Collector Paresh Faldesai in the presence of Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho, then Mormugao Mamlatdar Satish Prabhu, then MMC Chief Officer Gaurish Shankhwalkar and a large number of BJP supporters.
The dramatic event had fuelled speculations in Sancoale ZP constituency that the Congress had succumbed to the political prowess of Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho.
While angry Congressmen had begun demanding a change in GPCC leadership for having failed miserably to field a candidate and having lost a golden chance to win the Sancoale ZP seat, Godinho had said the BJP has kickstarted the ZP victory from Sancoale.
Godinho later said he was confident that the BJP would lead the ZP polls in North and South Goa.
