MARGAO
Even as the countdown for the election of the new Margao Municipal Council Chairperson has begun with the Director of Municipal Administration expected to issue a notification setting in motion the process to fill up the vacant post on Monday, many questions remain unanswered -- will the Digambar Kamat and Vijai Sardesai-backed Margao Civic Alliance (MCA) have a smooth sailing in the polls?
The post has been left vacant after the Goa Forward-backed Municipal Chairperson Lyndon Pereira quit office after presiding over the post for 15 months as per an understanding between Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai and his Margao counterpart Digambar Kamat.
On paper, the Margao Civic Alliance, an alliance propped by the Digambar-Vijai duo to jointly fight the civic polls on the MCA banner looks formidable with the group enjoying support of 15 members in the 25-member body.
But, many questions remain unanswered “ will the Goa Forward group in the civic body stick to the commitment over the rotation of the Chair with the alliance partner every 15 months and will not be guided by reports and speculations that Kamat has set his eyes on the BJP? Or, will the Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai pull the rug from the MCA citing intense speculations and reports over the imminent exit of Kamat from the Congress to join the BJP?
The BJP-backed group’s strength in the civic body has increased from seven members in 2021 to nine for the moment, and is the single largest group in the 25-member body. So far, the BJP group in the civic body has maintained an eerie silence on the question of contesting elections for the chairperson’s post. With the BJP enjoying the support of nine councillors, the ruling dispensation is in need of just four more members to reach the magic figure of 13 and ensure the Lotus blooms over the MMC building after two decades.
The Digambar-backed Model Margao group has set in motion the process to shortlist the candidate for the coveted seat, and is expected to field two-time councillor Damu Shirodkar for the coveted post. The Margao MLA already had separate meetings with his seven-member group of councillors to ascertain their views on Damu’s candidature.
After the exercise, Digambar with Damu in tow called on the Goa Forward chief last week to officially convey to Sardesai that the two-time councillor representing Aquem has been shortlisted as Model Margao’s candidate for the vacant post.
Sources in the know say the Goa Forward chief is believed to have told Digambar that the candidate should meet the councillors of the alliance in order to seek support and backing for his candidature.
Following this development, Damu is believed to have interacted with some of the Goa Forward-backed councillors, who are reported to have maintained that they will all go by the dictates of the party chief.
