PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday set speculation at rest and announced that elections to eleven municipal councils and the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) will not be held on political party lines even as his government announced the reservation of wards scheme and their delimitation.
The reservation and delimitation of wards in 11 municipal councils notified on Friday has 52 wards reserved for women which is nearly 30 percent.
The Other Backward Classes (OBCs) have got a quota of 40 seats (27 percent).
There is also reservation for Scheduled Tribes in six wards and for Scheduled Castes in eight wards.
Interestingly, delimitation and reservation of wards in CCP to whose term ends and election is also due in early March has not been announced.
Elections are likely to be held in March-end to Municipal Councils of Mormugao, Margao, Mapusa, Bicholim, Cuncolim, Curchorem, Quepem, Canacona, Sanguem, Pernem and Valpoi.
There was speculation in political circles that the ruling BJP, riding on its sweeping success in the ZP polls would opt for holding these civic elections on party lines.
The organisational setup of the party however could not build a consensus with one group led by Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate rooting for fighting it on party lines and another dithering.
Elections are one way to decide the fate of candidates, while a deft reservation of wards can also be another viable option to virtually eliminate political adversaries to the advantage of those in power.
The second option has stirred a controversy as the reservation of wards in municipal councils going to polls has effectively eliminated the prospects of several sitting councillors and local political leaders.
On the other hand, many who are close to the those in power have secured a major advantage, with wards either being reserved in their favour or being left in the open category, thereby facilitating them to secure a win in the council polls.
According to reactions emerging in many municipal councils, several councillors are aggrieved over the logic and methodology in the reservation of wards.
Some have claimed that wards have been reserved for a community in places which hardly have any members of that community.
Other councillors are aggrieved over the recurrence of reservation of the same wards and claimed that if reservations were to have been carried out in rotation, the same ward could not have been reserved for the second consecutive term.
A number of unhappy councillors are now planning to challenge the reservations of wards in court.
