PANJIM: Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) councillors owing allegiance to Congress St Cruz MLA Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate are distancing themselves from the campaign for the Panjim by-poll. When Herald contacted them, most preferred to remain silent on Monserrate’s direction to work against Panjim Mayor Surendra Furtado, who is the Congress candidate.
However, a quick survey of the wards dominated by Monserrate backed councillors shows that efforts are on to pull down Furtado, who has been at loggerheads with the ruling councillors.
Panjim will be voting on February 13 to elect a MLA following Manohar Parrikar’s elevation as Defence Minister. The by-poll is going to see a fight between Furtado and BJP’s Siddarth Kunkolienkar and an independent Sameer Kelekar.
Speaking to Herald, councillor and former deputy Mayor Rudresh Chodankar said that irrespective of what Monserrate has said, he will work for the best and deserving candidate. “Here we will not look at the corporation politics but we will have to think big. Becoming head of the Corporation is different from representing Panjim constituency. We need a deserving candidate and I will work for him,” Chodankar said without naming anyone.
Former Mayor Yatin Parekh, who had contested against Manohar Parrikar in 2012 Assembly election said, “I am neither supporting anyone nor opposing anyone but hope the deserving and people’s candidate wins.” Parekh’s ward with 1200 voters is the largest in Panjim.
Chodankar and Parekh had been lobbying for the Mayor’s post in the last election in March 2014, and are often seen contradicting Furtado’s statements and assurances at corporation meetings.
Deputy Mayor Kabir Makhija played a safe game, refusing to comment. However, some of his close aides believe that, though he is not working against Furtado, he is not supporting his candidature.
While other councillors have distanced themselves from the controversy, their voters claim that indirectly, they are been asked to vote for BJP.
Furtado, on the other hand, is confident of his victory. “My voters from Miramar have supported me for the past 25 years and in the same manner they have supported my wife in the last three terms. I am confident that people of Panjim will vote for change,” Furtado had said earlier.
In the past 20 years, BJP has dominated Panjim constituency, but the Congress has managed to pull some votes. While Congress loyalists will stay with the party, Furtdao will have to bring in other votes to win.
Monserrate had been holding power in the CCP in the past few years but had then lost it to BJP. In 2013, he managed to get the support of Furtado and his wife Ruth, on condition that Furtado be made Mayor and his panel returned to the ruling side. However, the relationship has soured and they drifted further apart when despite Monserrate announcing his intention to contest as an independent from Panjim, Furtado staked claim for the Congress ticket.
There are total eight wards in Panjim, dominated by the ruling councilors, having total voters strength of around 6500. These include two wards ruled by Furtado and his wife.
