MARGAO
Confirming that the government is contemplating to bring an Ordinance to hold elections of municipal chairpersons by show of hands, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat on Tuesday said that the Goa Municipalities Act nor the rules make any mention that election for the post of municipal chairperson should be held by secret ballot.
The proposed Ordinance has raised eyebrows as the move assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the defeat of the BJP candidate Damu Shirodkar for the post of Margao municipal chairperson at the hands of Goa Forward-backed Independent Ganashyam Shirodkar last month.
The move also assumes significance as the Ordinance is being proposed ahead of the election of the chairperson of Margao Municipal Council.
That’s not all. Kamat, who was a former Margao municipal councillor, further said that elections for the post of municipal chairpersons and vice-chairpersons are held at a special meeting of the Council.
“We have to understand that the Council’s meeting adopts resolutions to decide on any matter, and these resolutions are adopted by show of hands”, he said.
Further saying the Goa Municipalities Act or the rules do not specify election by secret ballot, Kamat said the Act and rules only make a reference to ballot, which implies that the members have to put to put a tick on the name of the candidate, not by secret ballot but doing it openly.
‘This was the practice that was followed by the municipal bodies over the years before a Presiding officer insisted that the voting should be done by secret ballot”, he said, adding that the government is bringing an Ordinance to bring clarity on the mode of election of a municipal chairperson and vice-chairperson.
In last month election for the post of Margao municipal chairperson, the BJP Candidate Damu Shirodkar had lost the poll to Ganashyam Shirodkar by 10-15 votes despite the fact that the BJP enjoyed the support of 15 councillors in the 25-member Civic body.
The BJP’s defeat because of cross voting by the party-backed councillors was not taken kindly by the party top leadership as the defeat came as a big embarrassment for party leaders, including Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Cong-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat.
The BJP, however, later got its act together by ensuring that all its 15 councillors showed their hands to vote out Ganashyam Shirodkar in a no trust motion.
