Team Herald
PERNEM: Six candidates of the BJP-backed panel won the Pernem Municipal Council election while four Independent candidates ousted the saffron party-supported candidates.
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Out of these four Independents, two have extended their support to the BJP. The winning candidates are from following wards: Ward No 1 — Manoj Harmalkar (Independent), Ward No 2 — Ashwini Palyekar (Independent), Ward No 3 — Rakhi Navso Kashalkar (BJP), Ward No 4 — Usha Nagvekar (BJP), Ward No 5 — Vishakha Gadekar (Independent), Ward No 6 — Trupti Anand Sawal Desai (BJP), Ward No 7 — Shivram Tukoji (Independent), Ward No 8 — Madhav Shivaji Sinai Desai (BJP), Ward No 9 — Siddhesh Pednekar (BJP) and Ward No — 10 Vishnu Salgaonkar (BJP).
Independents — Manoj Harmalkar and Shivram Tukoji — have extended their support to the BJP.
Manoj said, “I always supported the BJP but the candidate backed by the saffron party in Ward no 1 wanted to contest. I was confident of winning the election and that’s the reason I contested as an Independent and won it. I had informed our MLA that I will always support the BJP.”
Former chairperson of PMC Vasudev Deshprabhu, a BJP-backed candidate in Ward No 7, was defeated by Independent candidate Shivram Tukoji.
Supriya, Divya and Mahadev
win by-polls
Meanwhile, Supriya Poke, Divya Vaigankar and Mahadev Palyekar won byelections in the three village panchayats of Pernem taluka.
The byelection, which was due in Morjim after former sarpanch Shanti Poke had resigned from her post, witnessed a straight fight between Supriya and Dimpal Yeshi in Ward No 5 of Morjim Village Panchayat. Poke secured 377 votes while Yeshi polled 185 votes. Poke defeated Yeshi with margin of 192 votes. Total valid votes were 562.
In a triangular fight, Divya Dilip Vaigankar won the byelection in Ward No 3 of Arambol Village Panchayat with a margin of 36 votes. Divya pulled 165 votes while opposition Vishika Vaigankar secured 129 votes and Sharon Fernandes got 96 votes.
In Ward No 7 of Corgao Panchayat, Mahadev Palyekar won the bypoll with a margin of 74 by pulling 340 votes and defeated Krishnakant Bhaidkar, who secured 266 votes.
The by election was due after former panch Raghunath Kalashavkar tendered his resignation as he won the Zilla Panchayat elections.
