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MARGAO
Moments after party candidate Pooja Naik defeated Congress“backed candidate Doris Texeira by 13-12 votes for the post of Margao Municipal Council chairperson, Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai said the regional party has defeated an illegitimate and immoral marriage of convenience by two national parties trying to subjugate a regional party and its leader.
He said the Goa Forward will go ahead with its agenda to install the statue of Jack Sequeira and naming of road after former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Vijai also announced that the Goa Forward will make its presence felt in Margao, saying that Madgavkars will not get justice when the main Opposition party leader is hand in gloves with the ruling party.
Addressing the media, Vijai said the Goa Forward party has polled 13 votes to win the post of MMC chairperson, adding there will now be no looking back in naming the Fatorda road after former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on his birthday on December 13. He dared Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to stop the MMC from naming the Fatorda road after Manohar Parrikar. He also said the MMC will set in motion to float an Expression of Interest (EoI) towards the installation of Jack Sequeira’s statue.
“Our victory in the civic body is a tight slap on the immoral and illegitimate marriage of convenience between the Congress and BJP. It is a dangerous time for Goa. We cannot expect local issues to be taken up by the main Opposition party when the ruling party and the Leader of the Opposition have come together to control the Margao civic body,” he said, while exuding confidence that people of Margao in particular and Saxttikars in general will give an answer to the two national parties in the election.
“The national leadership of the Congress, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are treading a cautious path in entering an alliance with the Shiv Sena. I only hope the Congress leaders will take note of the development in Margao when the Opposition leader openly associated with the BJP to win the civic body,” he said.
The Goa Forward chief said the regional party will consider expanding the party into neighbouring Margao to give justice to the people of Margao. “People of Margao are facing an uncertain future because of the alliance between Digambar and BJP. Where will they go if they are meted injustice by the ruling dispensation,” he wondered, adding that this trend is not in the interest of the people.
To a question, he said the garbage issue cannot be resolved overnight just because there’s a new chairperson in office, while seeking the support of all concerned, including the MLAs of Margao and Curtorim, Digambar Kamat and Reginaldo Lourenco to resolve the imbroglio.
6 additional votes polled by Doris a bonus: Digambar
MARGAO: Saying that the six additional votes polled by the Congress was a bonus for the Congress candidate Doris Texeira, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat has said Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai is free to enter Margao in the future.
Kamat, however, has said that Madgavkars as well as the people of Goa are closely watching the Goa Forward chief.
Commenting on the outcome of the election for the post of Margao Municipal Council chairperson, which went in favour of the Goa Forward, Kamat said the six additional votes polled by Doris were the bonus earned by the party candidate. When pointed out that in the bargain the Congress candidate has garnered the votes from the BJP-backed group, Kamat shotback saying “Doris must have polled the additional votes after the councillors voted for her after looking at her experience.”
When his attention was drawn to Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai’s threat to enter into his fiefdom in the future, Kamat said he has no problem, saying that any political party or a leader has a right to enter any constituency in a democratic set up. “Vijai is free to do so. I have no problem. Madgavkars and Goemkars know Vijai very well. Let him come to Margao. No one can stop anyone from taking his political party to any constituency,” Kamat added.
Cross-voting brings to fore differences amongst Margao BJP leaders
MARGAO: Simmering differences in the BJP over the question of supporting the Congress candidate for the MMC chairperson’s post came out in the open with party leader in the civic body Rupesh Mahatme conceding that one of the party-backed councillor has voted against the Congress candidate on Friday.
Mahatme, however, hastened to add that the councillor’s vote was more against the Congress than in favour of the Goa Forward candidate. “I do not want to name the councillor who has cross-voted. It’s now clear that one of the BJP-backed councillor voted against the Congress candidate, giving victory for the Goa Forward,” he said.
Sources in the BJP say that the cross-voting by the party-backed councillor has only brought to the fore the differences amongst the city based-BJP leaders, some of whom were opposed to any tie up with the Congress in general and Leader of the Opposition, Digambar Kamat in particular for the MMC chairperson’s post.
It remains to be seen how the party leadership will deal with the emerging situation, more so when a section of top party leadership was in favour of a tie up with the Congress to end Goa Forward’s reign in the Margao Municipal Council.
