Team Herald
QUEPEM: The mood is set for 13-ward Quepem Municiapal Council (QMC) which would witness three-sided fight between former Dy CM Babu Kavalekar and BJP backed panel, Congress-backed United Front of Quepem and AAP-backed Aami Quepekars today. The polling would take place in 14 booths as ward 11 would have two booths, one at Quepem Cemetery Diao and the other at Gaokarwado Diao.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The BJP-backed candidates are contesting in all 13 seats. Though municipal elections are supposedly not to be on party lines, few candidates make it obvious by putting Babu Kavalekar’s photo in their banner in some wards. However some candidates refrained from giving hint of any party affiliation.
Congress-backed United Front of Quepem apparently posed for Kavalekar’s panel as the former has11 candidates contesting the municipal elections that include influential local businessmen Yogesh Bene in two wards—ward no 1 and 4. In ward 12 Congress has given outside support to candidates which they didn’t declare publically said Congress leader of Quepem, Elton Dcosta, who is the controlling whole process and decision maker for Quepem municipal polls.
AAP-backed Ami Quepekars fielded candidates for 10 wards.
Wnen AAP convener Patricia Fernandes was asked how she chose candidates for the municipal polls, she said, “We worked hard from ground level for upcoming municipal polls in Quepem. From October we started the work and we have given chances only to our volunteers who work hard for the part. Our candidates who are contesting elections are common men and not industrialist or capitalists.”
She assume her party backed candidates have good chances to win in ward 8,9,11 and 12.
In ward 9 (ST) ex-minister Prakash Velip’s daughter Shreya Velip is also contesting from the BJP-backed panel that and turned it into a talking point of QMC elections. When Prakash Velip was asked about his take on her and the municipal elections, he said, “Shreya is people’s candidate, and have full support of the locals. We will always with the party whose leaders have vision and creativity like Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Talking about the elections, he said, “There is no difference between Assembly or municipalities or panchayat elections. In all these elections we need struggle, experience, tactics and hard work in political field.”
Businessmen and social worker of Quepem Yogesh Kunkolikar said, “I am always an internal part of BJP and we expect 9 to 10 candidates would win Quepem municipal polls, and 3 to 4 candidates would win from Congress supported panel,”
He further added that this time few new faces will be in the winner’s list and same time old faces that are committed to their people in past year and brought the development in the wards also be re-elected. “And both these new and old councillors in Quepem municipality would set a stage for BJP’s win in upcoming Assembly elections. Quepem Constituency was the strongest platform for Congress before but in this municipal polls, the BJP will definitely form council, which will be turning point in the history of Quepem politics,” said Kunkolikar.
Elton Dcosta claimed, “Out of 13 seats, 10 would be won by United Front of Quepem panel. From last few days I continuously visited municipal areas to know what people think of Congress today after Babu Kavalekar left the congress. People’s view and thought have remained the same; there is no change in people’s mindset. I feel we would definitely bring changes in Quepem municipality with people’s support.” He criticised Kavalekar saying that “Tene quepekarcho vishwasghat kela ” and this election people will definitely teach lesson to him by voting against him, added Elton.
