Team Herald
MARGAO: South Goa Zilla Parishad members Clafasio Dias and Wilfred D’Sa proved to be giant killers at the recent Assembly elections.
Wilfred defeated sitting MLA Mickky Pacheco while Clafacio has single-handed beaten several former and present giants in Cuncolim including Joaquim Alemao. Clafasio and Wilfred are the 2 among the 6 ZP’s of South who contested but did not secure a win.
Mickky Pacheco had contested from Nuvem constituency for the second time after moving from NCP to Goa Su-Raj Party. However, Mickky’s move backfired. He had contested on NCP ticket in 2007 and was given a cabinet berth. In 2012, he formed his own party and got elected later supporting the BJP dispensation. However, due to infighting within the party he quit the same. But to his surprise Wilfred was slowly and steadily working towards his victory. When the results were declared, the sitting MLA only managed to get 4307 votes against Congress’ D’Sa, a civil contractor who was elected for the first time.
The Zilla Parishad member of Guirdolim Clafasio Dias is also one of the Congress candidates who emerged victorious. Clafacio has defeated former minister Joaquim Alemao, former MLA Rajan Naik and also AAP’s chief ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes. Clafacio got elected by a slender 33-vote margin.
“I have won by only 33 votes margin because money power was used against me. But I knew God was with me” he said.
Two ZP seats have been vacated following the victories of Wilfred and Clafacio and as per the President of ZP South Goa there will be a bye election for the same soon.
A total of 6 members from South Goa ZP had contested from various constituencies down South. Of these six, Nelly Rodrigues, who is the former South ZP president lost the election from Cortalim constituency while contesting against her own colleague Antonne Vaz, who came second.
Benaulim ZP member Maria Rebello got a mere 492 votes while Navelim ZP member Edwin Cipru Cardozo too lost the election.
