Canacona: Campaigning goes in high gear
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
CANACONA, OCT 24
With few days remaining for the civic polls, intense campaigning is witnessed in all the 10 wards of Canacona Municipal Council (CMC).
According to sources, every tactics are applied by the candidates to convince and pull respective voters in their favour.
In some wards, candidates along with their supporters visit each and every voter almost on daily basis, as the main emphasis is on door-to-door campaigning.
While Nagarcem (Ward 1) houses a few commercial establishments, Chaudi (Ward 2) is the hub and business centre for the entire Canacona taluka.
Nagarcem, with an electorate of 876, is reserved for women and will witness a straight contest between Suchita Naik Gaonkar, wife of businessman and present councilor and ex-chairperson Ranghanath, and a political novice Manuja Naik Gaonkar, who is backed by her influential husband Hemant.
Local pandits feels that given the political clout of her husband and her husband’s family contacts, Suchita holds a safe upper-hand in the run-up to the polls to win the seat.
On the other hand, determined Manuja is not willing to give the seat to her opponent on a platter. Strongly assisted by her husband and supporters, she is seen personally reaching to all the voters for support and their votes.
Incidentally, male voters outnumber their female counterparts as 472 males are eligible to vote as against 404 females in CMC Ward 1.
As for Ward 2 (Chaudi), a four-cornered battle will be witnessed.
According to sources, the unique specialty of this ward is that no councilor in the past got elected consecutively for the second time.
However, the way canvassing is presently headed up, sitting councilor and CMC’s Deputy Chairperson Dilip Kenkre is making an all-out effort to break that barrier.
“I have incomplete tasks to achieve for my people, even though I have done works to the tune of crores of rupees during my term in Chaudi,” Kenkre said pointing to ongoing works of Rs 3.3 crore worth beautification, besides the recently renovated municipal garden, gutters, etc.
Even though Chaudi has more people than seen anywhere else in the entire taluka, the total electorate of his ward is just 889, slightly higher to that of Nargarcem (876).
Here again males (464) outnumber female (425) voters.
While three contestants are experienced, the fourth candidate, scribe Sanjay Komarpant, is a new face, but said to be in strong contention to wrest the seat and believes he can keep Chaudi’s unique relevance alive of electing only a new face every time in municipal elections.
The third contestant, a local real estate businessman and upcoming politician, Hemant Gracias, is largely considered as ‘a no-new face’, as his wife and ex-councilor Chanda Gracias, was seen by many only as his shadow in Council.
Hemant’s campaign too has picked up, as more of his supporters are now seen rallying for him too.
Chaudi’s fourth contestant is ex-councilor Stenley Gracias (who represented the ward 10 years ago).
While people consider him as a ‘no serious candidate’ this time, his close aides claimed that Stenley is going to pull off a big surprise to outwit all and become a councilor for the second time.
