MARGAO: Margao Municipal Councillors affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata Party have initiated the process to file a no confidence motion against Deputy Chairperson Doris Teixeira with 13 councillors signing the no confidence motion and more signatures are being collected.
Senior councillor Rupesh Mahatme who was also the BJP candidate for Assembly elections from Margao in the past admitted that the no confidence motion will probably be filed on Wednesday or Thursday as the Chairperson Dr Babita Prabhudessai was out of station.
It is learnt that MMC Chairperson Dr Babita Angle Prabhudessai had asked Doris to step down as alliance worked out by Vijai Sardessai and Digambar Kamat, was irrevocably damaged at the last assembly elections.
In fact, Vijai said the alliance has seized the moment the Congress Party to which Digambar belongs, had fielded a candidate against him at the last assembly elections. However, he said he had not initiated anything and what was happening at the municipality was the councillors’ doing.
Both Dr Babita and Doris refused to comment on the matter with Dr Babita avoiding all questions with a “no comments’. However, Doris suggested that since the alliance was forged by MLAs it would be best to get their views.
Former chief minister Digambar Kamat conceded that Doris had told him that some councillors had informed her about moves to dethrone her. “I had told Doris that she should resign as Deputy Chairperson because we do not have the numbers,” he said.
In the 25-member council, 11 who were elected from Fatorda area owe allegiance to Vijai. While seven are aligned to the BJP, Digambar has six loyalists and there is one independent.
It may be recalled that soon after the municipal elections where 11 candidates of Fatorda Forward and six sponsored by the Digambar Kamat backed Model Margao were elected, the alliance was formed on term that Fatorda Forward would get the chairperson while deputy chairperson would be from Model Margao.
As pointed out by Rupesh, the scenario has now changed and the BJP-Goa Forward alliance controls the MMC and therefore a change is inevitable. “The independent councillor will also back the ruling front,” he said.
