The election was necessitated following former sarpanch Sauanna Araujo’s election as a Zilla Panchayat member in the recently held ZP polls.
Since the ruling panel and the opposition had five panchas each, the sarpanch’s election was expected to be a close contest. However, opposition panch and former sarpanch Vincent Lourenco said that they decided not to field a candidate as they wanted unhindered development in the village, which was lacking due to the political rivalry between the two panels.
“We have extended our support to the ruling panel and we hope that the local MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate will usher in development in all the wards in the village, without discrimination,” Lourenco hoped.
Speaking to Herald, an elated Maria Rodrigues said that it is a prestige issue for her to be holding the sarpanch’s post. She further thanked the local MLA Monserrate and also her colleagues for giving her an opportunity to serve the people. When asked to outline her vision for the village, she only said, “Actions will speak louder than words.”
The other panchas present for the election included Namdev Naik, Tony Fernandes, Indira Fernandes, Diksha Kavlekar and Anvisha Belekar. Extension Officer Anil Dhumaskar was the presiding officer.
