Countinhos manage to maintain stranglehold in Colmorod

MARGAO, NOV 1
The Coutinhos retained their stranglehold over Colmorod ward by defeating the candidate backed by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat.
Pratima Coutinho, wife of Margao Municipal Chairperson Savio emerged victorious by a huge margin of 682 votes against her close rival, Sandra.
Soon after the victory, the Savio-Pratima duo dedicated their victory to the hard work put in by the workers, who they said did not succumb to pressures and threats by the powers that be.
Without naming Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, the Coutinhos said the powers that be used all possible means to harass and torture their workers not to vote for Pratima.
And, they made it categorically clear that the Youth Congress would formally lodge a complaint with the party high command on the attempts by the Chief Minister to sabotage Pratima’s election to the civic body.
“We are dedicating this victory to the workers who toiled hard despite pressures and threats from the powers that be. We are happy that our workers did not succumb to the dictates of the powers that be”, both Savio and Pratima told newsmen.
They, however, declined to name anyone, saying people all over Goa know who are the persons who worked overtime to defeat Pratima.
Savio said even the powers that be threatened the people to bulldoze their houses if Pratima is not defeated in the hustings.
“I am very grateful to the workers, besides PWD Minister Churchill Alemao, Urban Development Minister Joaquim Alemao, GPCC general secretary Vijay Sardessai, Mahila Congress chief Monica Dias, GPYC President Sankalp Amonkar and not forgetting the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who indirectly contributed to my victory”, she said.
A visibly agitated MMC Chairperson said that though his wife was not supported by the powers that be, the people have given her a huge victory. “Candidates supported by the powers that be have won with less margins, while Pratima has won with a handsome margin without the support of these powers”, Savio asserted.
Asked whether they have any plan up their sleeves to teach the powers that be in Margao, Savio said “We have been given a mandate to do good work in Margao, we would live up to the aspirations of the citizens”.
He replied in the positive when asked whether the Chief Minister had attended a fake wedding anniversary inside the Azad Nagar slum, adding that this only goes to show that attempts were made even on the eve of the polls to sabotage Pratima’s success.