MARGAO
With the numbers game tilted in its favour, the saffron brigade came in strength at the office of the Presiding Officer to file nominations for the posts of South Goa chairperson and vice-chairperson on Tuesday.
Accompanied by party former MP Vinay Tendulkar, BJP’s two-time ZP member Sidharth Gauns Desai filed his papers for the post of chairperson, while first-time ZP member Anjali Velip filed her nomination for the post of vice-chairperson.
Tendulkar said that the BJP enjoys the support of 15 members in the 25-member South Goa Zilla Panchayat ” BJP (11), MGP (2) and two Independents. “The MGP and the Independents have already extended their support to the BJP in the election for the posts of South Goa ZP chairperson and vice-chairperson, taking our tally of members to 15,” Tendulkar said.
While the party leadership is believed to have gone for seniority while zeroing in on two-time Xeldem ZP member Sidharth Gauns Desai, the nomination of newly elected Barcem ZP member Anjali Velip shows that the party was keen to maintain social engineering in South Goa, with the Assembly election just a year away.
It could not be ascertained from the party leadership whether the ruling dispensation will go for rotation of the top posts after a fixed tenure. The last five years saw the BJP rotating the post of chairperson among three members.
The election process will start at the South Goa Zilla Panchayat at 12.45 pm on Tuesday.
