PANJIM: Hectic lobbying has started to gain control of the grassroots local bodies in the State with MLAs going all out to woo the elected panchayat members.
The ruling BJP was the first to claim that maximum candidates backed by the party won the panchayats elections and BJP State president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said that nearly 800 to 900 elected panchas were supported by the BJP and they will govern the village panchayats.
Like the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) election results, most of the elected panchayat members went to meet the Chief Minister at his official residence at Altinho. They also took photographs with the Chief Minister and BJP leaders.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was also on record that BJP-backed candidates had won in more than 150 Village Panchayats and that another 50 per cent of the elected members from the remaining panchayats were affiliated with the BJP.
On the other hand, the opposition Congress claimed that though panchayat elections were not fought on party lines, many candidates backed by the party MLAs have emerged winners.
Congress chief spokesman Amarnath Panjikar said, “First of all these are panchayat elections where villagers vote depending on local issues. Many of our party members and workers have been elected and they are in touch with their respective MLAs.”
Panjikar alleged that the BJP by hook or crook wants to grab power everywhere. The BJP Ministers and leaders have been harassing and pressurizing elected panchas to owe their allegiance to the BJP, he said that Congress MLAs want to work in tandem with all the elected panchas keeping aside political affiliations.
There are reports that in Anjuna-Caisua and Sodiem-Siolim village panchayats, elected panchas have gone into hiding and their stand would be known only on Monday when elections will be held to elect the sarpanchas and deputy sarpanchas.
In Salcete taluka, independents have come together in Cana-Benaulim and Varca village panchayats by forming a majority panel and declaring that they would not align with any political party.