MARGAO
Navelim created a history of sorts as elections for the Navelim Zilla Panchayat seat has been countermanded for the second time in the last two decades following the death of Congress candidate Jose Santa Rita Coelho.
This is the second time in the Zilla Panchayat history that elections for the Navelim seat have been countermanded twice due to the demise of a candidate.
In the 2010 Zilla Panchayat polls, election for the Navelim ZP seat was countermanded after one of the contesting candidates passed away during the campaign.
Former Navelim ZP member, Bishut Themudo confirmed that the election authorities had countermanded the 2010 election for the Navelim seat following the death of a candidate. “I was in the fray that time for the Navelim seat when the election had to be countermanded after one of the contestants died after he met with an accident,” Bishut said.
In the instant case, election for the Navelim ZP seat has been countermanded after the Congress candidate Jose Santa Rita Coelho, popularly known as Babush, passed away on September 8.
The Navelim ZP seat had witnessed a three-cornered contest between the Congress candidate Jose Santa Rita Coelho, Aam Aadmi Party candidate Matilda D’Silva and sitting two-time ZP member Cipru Cardozo, who preferred to seek re-election as an Independent.
The contest had virtually narrowed down between the sitting ZP member Cipru and the Congress candidate, who was a three-time Navelim panchayat member. While Congress leaders, including Navelim MLA Luizinho
Faleiro had thrown his weight behind Babush, Cipru had gone about seeking his re-election as an independent candidate.
Delay attributed to SEC not being informed about candidate’s death
MARGAO: Hazard a guess why it took more than a month’s time to countermand elections for the Navelim ZP seat when the Congress candidate Jose Santa Rita Coelho had passed away on September 8 last?
Sources in the know informed that the State Election Commission was unaware of the candidate’s death as the Commission was not kept in the loop by the local election officials over the development.
In fact, when The Goan had called up the State Election Commission R K Srivastava last week to find out whether elections for the Navelim ZP seat have been countermanded or not, he feigned ignorance over the death of any candidate.
The State Election Commissioner had told The Goan that the Election Commission will take a call as per the provisions of the election rules only after it received a report about the candidate’s death from the local election officials.
Sources pointed out that the recent transfer of officials, including the deputy Collectors, and the pre-occupation of the officials with Covid work, caused the delay in keeping the Election Commission informed about the candidate’s death.
