TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Reis Magos ZP constituency is turning into an interesting contest as sitting North Goa Zilla Panchayat (NGZP) chairperson Jayesh Salgaonkar faces four other candidates.
A Congress member, Salgaonkar, who is contesting as an independent, has seen the local Congress leaders desert him in the campaign. “I am a Congress district vice-president but still Congress has preferred to go with other candidate who went against the party in the last assembly elections. This is being done to give the BJP an upper hand in the constituency,” Salgaonkar told Herald on Monday.
Salgaonkar has completed his entire five-year term as the NGZP president, but it was not without any attempts to dislodge him, especially after the BJP came to power in March 2012.
“The BJP tried to topple me twice but both attempts failed. After that they gave up,” Salgaonkar said.
Speaking to Herald, Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai said, “This man has been the symbol of resistance against the BJP who attempted to dislodge him from the post of North Goa ZP chairperson and should have been supported by the Congress. That this is not being done is a travesty.”
Salgaonkar has also found support in Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte. When contacted, Khaunte confirmed that he is supporting the candidature of Salgaonkar. “Though I support him as he is my college friend, I am not involved in his political campaign,” Khaunte said.
Enumerating his achievements as NGZP president, Salgaonkar said he focused on education and organized an annual felicitation of meritorious students of the district and a quiz competition for students.
“I also held a seminar on career guidance for SSC students in November last year, where students from all schools of North Goa
were invited to attend,” Sagaonkar said.
