PANJIM: Many corporators will not be able to re-contest the municipal elections in their home ground. A number of corporators of Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) have lost their wards or will have to contest from neighbouring wards or completely alien ward, thanks to post-delimitation and reservation of wards.
All the wards have been redrawn in such a way that they have been divided into four parts leaving longest serving and senior corporators in a fix with 30 wards and reservation of wards for women and candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC).
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
When contacted, Urban Development Director Gurudas Pilarnekar refused to speak stating that the matter was subjudice. He only said that wards were bifurcated so as to have rationalisation of voters and to maintain geographical continuity.
Pilarnekar informed that as many as 10 writ petitions filed by individuals from various municipal areas have been listed for hearing by the High Court of Bombay at on Monday, February 22.
On the other hand, Tiswadi Mamlatdar R C Dessai said that the wards were delimitated as per directions of the Directorate of Urban Development. “Wards have been redrawn to maintain equitable distribution and considering geographical continuity,” he told Herald.
Many political bigwigs are upset with the delimitation and new reservation of wards. For some only ward numbers have been changed that ensure that they can re-contest elections from the same place.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has given full authority to its MLA Atanasio `Babush’ Monserrate to choose candidates.
The corporators are also not sure whether their panel would be named as Panaji City Corporation Development Front or Panaji First, the latter was backed by BJP.
CCP Mayor Uday Madkaikar said that he will now contest from ward 14 since his earlier ward has been reserved for women candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities.
But when the Notification was perused, it was ample clear that only ward number has been changed from 18 to 14 ensuring safe sailing for Madkaikar, who was earlier asked not to re-contest elections by Monserrate.
Former CCP chairperson Yatin Parekh clarified that he will not contest the ensuing polls and that his son Karan will enter the fray.
He also disclosed that his son will contest from ward 11 on the panel backed by Panaji MLA Babush Monserrate.
“I had my innings as a councillor, corporator, deputy mayor and mayor,” Parekh said adding that let new faces contest the elections.
In 2015, Yatin’s wife corporator Lata contested after his ward was reserved for women candidates.
Yatin’s ward has also been divided into four parts and one part (ward 24) has been reserved for women candidates from OBC.
Two BJP-backed corporators, Kishor Sastry and Pramay Mainkar will also have to look for new wards even as they are pinning their hopes on the party.
Sastry and Mainkar have been assured to be re-nominated by the party.
An interesting battle on cards will be between two sitting corporators Ruth Furtado and Soraya Pinto Makhija in ward 9. Both the corporators have their sizeable voters in the ward and are set to re-contest. Soraya is likely to be fielded by Monserrate.
