Jose Philip accused of influencing reservation of wards

VASCO, OCT 2
If Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and GPCC General Secretary Vijay Sardessai allegedly influenced ward reservation at the Margao Municipal Council, politicians in Vasco were not far behind in reserving wards of their choice in the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC).
There are claims that Revenue Minister Jose Philip D’Souza influenced the reservation of Ward 18 for the OBC to accommodate his supporter Babu Nanoskar and to checkmate his rival councillor Carlos Almeida.
Similarly in Ward 10, outgoing councillor and Goa Congress Committee Minority Department President Saifullah Khan, had kicked off the campaign for his mother as this ward is revered for women this time. 
However, this ward has now been reserved for a woman OBC candidate, dashing all hopes for Khan’s mother to contest the polls.
“We had a strong feeling since the beginning that certain wards would be reserved as per whims and fancies of political leaders and this is exactly what has happened,” said President of All Goa Councillors Forum Carlos Almeida.
“I had sensed that there was a move to reserve my Ward 18 without any data authentication of population concentration and hence, I commence campaigning in Ward 17,” Almeida added.
Similarly, it appears that BJP MLA Milind Naik succeeded in eliminating councillor Rajesh Gonsekar, who had planned to contest from Ward 3.
Gonsekar began his campaign in full swing, only to learn to his surprise that his ward had been reserved for an ST candidate.
“This is a completely politically motivated move. When there are hardly five of six Schedule Tribe families in Ward 3, how could the Director of Municipal Administration reserve this ward for the ST community,” asked a furious Gonsekar.