TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Margao Municipal Chairperson Arthur D’Silva suffered a major setback when his candidate was defeated in elections for the post of Municipal vice-Chairperson.
The combined candidate of the ruling and opposition groups, Berta Cardozo defeated Arthur-backed candidate Dadi Mayenkar by 12-8 votes. The victory triggered celebrations in the anti-Arthur camp within the ruling group and the opposition alike.
They have now disclosed plans to unseat the Chairperson within the next few days. The number game in the Margao Municipal Council on Tuesday finally went against Municipal Chairperson Arthur D’silva. While Arthur was refusing to step down from office as per the agreement on grounds that that majority numbers should prevail, his candidate Dadi Mayenkar managed to poll only eight votes as against 12 votes polled by the rival group.
After her election, Berta said she would contribute towards the city’s development and continue the work to keep the markets free of encroachments.
A beleaguered Arthur questioned the conduct of the elections, saying secrecy was not maintained at today’s polling. “Instead of the swastika or a rubber stamp, the Councilors were allowed to use pen to tick the candidate of their choice. There was no proper illumination near the ballot box. The opposition members are believed to have even taken cell phones near the ballot box to click photographs to ensure their pattern of voting”, he alleged.
