the goan I network
MARGAO
With Margao Municipal Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai putting in her papers over the Jack Sequeira’s statue row, after presiding over the affairs of the civic body for years, one question doing the rounds in the commercial capital is whether traditional foes, Congress Margao MLA and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat will join hands with the BJP to keep the Goa Forward party at bay in Margao municipal politics.
This question assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that none of three major players in the Margao civic body “ Goa Forward party, BJP and the Congress has the required numbers on their own to form the next council.
In the 25-member civic body, the Goa Forward has around 11 councilors, two short of a majority to form the council on its own.
It may be recalled that Goa Forward’s initial tally of 12 members have now been reduced to 11 after councilor Clara Fernandes moved away from the group.
The Goa Forward can hope to retain power in the Margao civic body by mustering the support of minimum two councilors from the rival group. Sources said Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai has already approached two councilors who were part of the 14-member group that had threatened to move a no confidence motion against Babita.
In the event Goa Forward fails to cobble up the required numbers and their efforts to woo the opposition councilors come a cropper, the crucial question that is uppermost on the minds of Madgavkars is whether arch political rivals “ BJP and local MLA Digambar Kamat will come together to form the next council.
As things stand today, the BJP, Congress and Independent Clara Fernandes together make up as many as 14 councilors in the 25 member council, enough to form the next council.
While the BJP has seven councilors, the Digambar Kamat-backed group enjoys the support of six councilors.
Taken together, the group can very well muster the required numbers to form a new council, but the moot question remains unanswered “ whether the Leader of the Opposition will give his nod to his group of councilors to join hands with the BJP to form the new council, knowing well that he had fought many an electoral battle against the BJP in the past and will have to take on the ruling party in the future as well.
The Opposition leader has made light of the developments in the MMC by saying that the councilors at their individual level had come together to demand rectification of a wrong done by the civic body.
With Babita tendering her resignation, and the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) holding election for the vacant post later this month, Kamat and his group will have to take a stand in the coming days considering the fact that he does not only enjoy the status as the Opposition Leader, but will have to take on the BJP in next year’s municipal polls due around October.
The BJP may also finds itself in a similar predicament, aware that it cannot afford to send a signal to Madgavkars that party-backed councilors have tied-up with Digambar’s group to form the new
council.
Party leaders in private say that opposing the Goa Forward-led council was one thing, but supporting the Kamat-backed group to form a new council or seeking support of the Congress to gain control of the council are two different things.
