MARGAO: The Margao Civic Alliance partners are apparently facing some difficulty in deciding who will be the next chairperson and vice-chairperson of Margao Municipal Council.
Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, who floated the Model Margao panel which won seven seats, said he is yet to sit with Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai who floated the Fatorda Forward to discuss the matter. Incidentally, nine councillors of the Fatorda Forward have been elected.
Digambar has even told his councillors that once he discusses the matter with Vijai he will call for a meeting to discuss the matter.
However, Vijai said a broad consensus has been reached while the finer details are yet to be worked out. He said since there are four aspirants for the chairperson’s post this position will be occupied in rotation as each will be hold the post for 15 months as the council term is 60 months.
Of the four aspirants for the chairperson’s post, two each are from Fatorda Forward and Model Margao. The two from Fatorda Forward vying for the post are former chairperson Pooja Naik by virtue of having already occupied that position in the past and Lyndon Pereira. Pooja has been elected councillor for the second time and from a different ward.
Lyndon is in the running as he is considered to be a senior in politics and has been with Vijai right from the time he contested the Assembly elections in 2007 where he lost. Lyndon has now been elected to the Margao Municipal Council for a second time but from a different ward.
The two councillors from Model Margao in the fray are former chairperson Ganashyam Shirodkar and Damodar Shirodkar who has been elected for the third time and when the ward was reserved for women he got his candidate elected and following her death his wife was elected councillor.
Clearly stating that he is not in the race for the chairperson’s post, he however indicated that if given the opportunity he would shoulder it to the best of his ability and turn around the South Goa District capital.
Given the situation, Vijai has now mooted the idea of having the chairperson by rotation with each holding the term for 15 months. Incidentally, if the chairperson is from Fatorda Forward then the Vice Chairperson will be from Model Margao and vice versa.
